Parenting is hard. It is something everyone has advice for, but no one knows how to do it right. That is until science gets into the mix. Researchers have discovered that there are ways to help improve your child’s behavior as well as reduce the likelihood of mental illness later on in life. Make sure that you are following these three scientifically proven parenting tips.
1. Give Them Whole Veggies
Canned vegetables aren’t as good as the fresh stuff, and young taste buds can tell. It may seem like your child hates vegetables, but they may just hate the way you are serving them.
A trial where children were asked to eat whole vegetables or diced vegetables, the children who ate the whole vegetables ate 8-10% more than the other group. So next time you are force feeding them healthy food, skip cutting it up or the can opener and get the good stuff.
2. Focus On the Positive
Imagine being asked to clean your parent's room, and they come in and tell you everything you missed. They disregard the beautifully made bed, the dusted blinds, but notice you forgot to vacuum under the bed. Wouldn’t it make you feel like nothing you do is ever good enough? That is why parents are starting to do positive parenting.
Positive parenting is when you decide to focus on the good behaviors of your child instead of the bad ones. Studies have shown that this is an effective way to parent and helps to form who your child will become in their adolescent years teaching them about consideration and respect and reduce the likelihood of mental health disorders.
3. Stop Shouting
Wouldn’t this one be nice for our parents? No one likes getting yelled at, especially when you are in such a low position of power like being a child. But what is it about shouting that does the damage? Is it really that bad?
Yes. Shouting affects the cerebral development in children. This can cause your children to become aggressive or overly shy. They also found that when the parents showed warmth and love, it didn’t make the shouting any less damaging.
Parenting Will Never Be Easy
It isn’t easy to hold your tongue when you are angry, even with your kids. It’s not easy to keep your voice down when you are upset. But there are many aspects of parenting that aren’t easy, and you can do it if you just keep at it. Learn to keep your cool, learn to speak with kindness, your child will learn a lot of great behavioral traits from you if you do.
