There are so many ideas about how to raise children, but often you run out of solutions. In this context, getting advice on parenting may seem like a good solution, but before adopting the ideas of other parents or even your parents, make sure that they fit in your parenting role. Here are some useful tips on how to accept advice on parenting from others.
How to accept parenting advices
Being a parent is a unique experience. When you become a parent, inevitably, you change your priorities and you get to know yourself better through your children. Make sure to realize that no parent has all the right answers and therefore there is no “best” parenting advice.
1. Learn to listen
Especially if you are a young parent, you are more likely to feel frustrated when raising your children. You may feel insecure, not mature enough to take decisions or scared to take risks that may affect your children’s lives. Often, your parents may interfere and offer parenting advice trying to help you. Learn to listen. Take their advice, which is, most of the times, extremely valuable and do not get irritated because they interfere. Do not feel like they are getting involved in the way you raise your children. Instead of getting nervous, try to find some value in their words that might be helpful to you.
2. Learn to evaluate
Sometimes, neighbours can be a great source of parenting advice, either because they have children too or because they know you well and have ties with you. Especially, if you are really close to them, get their advice, but make sure to evaluate it properly. The fact that they raise children too does not mean that they are raising your children. Listen to them, thank them for their advice, but evaluate if their advice fits your parenting style. At the end of the day, you are responsible if their advice fails to bring results in the way you raise your children.
3. Learn to appreciate
Your children’s teachers are another great source of parenting advice. Teachers see and “raise” your children every single day. Sometimes, they get to know your child’s behaviour in the social life before you do and they can better assess how any given behaviour can evolve in the future. Learn to appreciate the parenting advice of your children’s teachers, but instead of accepting them blindly, see what you could do to improve your parenting style.
4. Learn to be open-minded
Wherever you go with your children, advices on parenting may be offered to you. At a party or in the playground, you may exchange parenting advice with other parents. Learn to be open-minded and do not ignore any advice. Sometimes, it’s all about their personal experiences with no added value, but sometimes it may be some useful advice that you can really use. By being open-minded, you have more chances to get good advice, rather than no advice at all.
Overall, being a parent is a wonderful, yet challenging experience. Every parent is different and every child has a unique character. This requires you to be flexible and able to understand what your children need and how you can really approach them in order to raise them as respectful, responsible, polite and ambitious adults. Therefore, learn to accept advice from parents with a kind smile, be open-minded, and try to understand that, if people try to offer parenting tips and advice, it doesn’t mean they consider you an incompetent parent. Keep the best of these advices and maybe one day you can adjust your parenting style to the best.
