One Way to Be a Great Parent

A couple years ago, a friend of mine asked me for some advice on how to be a good parent.  At that time, she was pregnant with her first child, and I already had two young kids of my own. Since I had a couple years of experience ahead of her, it was understandable that she looked to me for some source of parental wisdom.

The first and only thing that I could think of telling her was "be a good person." It's about pushing yourself daily to be the best version of yourself. Being a good person is fundamentally important in being a great parent.

Parents are the main role models in their kids' lives. Kids learn so much from their parents. They play a key role into their socialization and how they perceive themselves and interact with the rest of society.

Who you are affects everything about you. It affects your thoughts, decisions, and actions. Being a good person causes you to think good thoughts and make smart decisions.Those are the kind of things you'll want to happen when you're a parent.

As a parent, you want to teach your kids how to be mentally and emotionally healthy. You want to teach them how to properly act around other people, or in the face of adversity. You want to teach them how to act with compassion and to live with love. The best way to teach them that is to show them that yourself.

You may not always make the best decisions (hindsight is 20/20), but the better the person you push yourself to be, the better decisions you make. You'll make the best decisions you can for your kids, and in turn, slowly teach them how to make good decisions themselves.

As a parent, it's natural for you to want the best for your kids. You must exemplify the type of person you want your kids to be.

Roderick Conwi writes at Nourishment Notes about lifestyle development. He is also the author of The Procrastinator's Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights that enhance your day, join his free newsletter.