One of the most obvious results of having a baby around the house is to turn two good people into complete idiots who probably wouldn't have been much worse than mere imbeciles without it. Georges Courteline, La Philosophie de Georges Courteline Expect Only the Best from Your Child
Expect the best from your child. If you expect the best behavior and performance you're your child, it's often what you will get. Children pick up on our beliefs about them, form a self-concept that matches that belief, and perform accordingly. If we expect them to be lazy, they'll be lazy, which will confirm our expectations for them, and the cycle toward failure is started. If, on the other hand, we expect our kids to be successful, productive, creative, and responsible and honestly believe it to be true, then our children can't help but rise to the occasion and confirm our best opinions of them with their positive actions. So expect nothing but the best from your children and watch them fulfill your expectations.
Praise your child often when they perform a good deed or accomplish a new task. Set simple, clear and consistent rules so your child knows exactly what is expected and the consequences of misbehaving or breaking the rules. Maintain a consistent daily routine for your child as much as possible, and make sure your child gets lots of physical activity and time to play and socialize with their friends. Encourage your child to learn how to make appropriate choices, and encourage your child to do things for themselves. Allow your child to talk about strong feelings, which will help them work through their anger and frustration.
Above all, be a positive role model for your child, as their strongest educator is your example. Take care of yourself, and expect the best from yourself. Make appropriate choices and be firm yet fair when disciplining your child. Make sure to spend lots of quality time with your child, and encourage them to become involved in activities that foster cooperation and a sense of accomplishment. If you have great expectations of your child, you'll be greatly pleased in the end.
Shared Parenting
Some children are actually energized instead of relaxed by a warm bath, so if that's the case with your child, bath time should be saved for a different time of day.
When a child experiences respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is. Hopefully before any misdeeds occur, you've sat down with your child and discussed the consequences of misdeeds and inappropriate behavior or decisions. Remember, your child learns what he lives. This is probably more a result of an active imagination than an attempt to deliberately lie about something. Let your child know what they did right and reward them for it before you let them know what they did wrong and punish for misbehaving or a misdeed. Remember to give yourself a time out if you feel an outburst coming on. However, some forms of lying are cause for concern, and might indicate an underlying emotional problem.
Make yourself an active listener.
And finally, encourage your child to be true to themselves by doing the same. So encourage your child's play. Your child will also appreciate the fact that maybe you do indeed understand how they feel. And when you see such action or behaviors, praise immediately so the child will know exactly what behavior or action was deemed praiseworthy.
