How to Raise a Happy Child

How can you raise a child perfectly in this era? The truth is that there is no perfect way to raise a happy child. However, anything done with love and care is always good! The problem with the gen z generation is that it’s just so different from the parents these days. Young parents might still find it easy to connect with their children, but all of those above the age of 35 might find it a little tough as they were just raised so differently! Many people indeed raise their children how their parents raised them! However, those old tactics just don’t apply to the gen z generation anymore as everything is quite different in this day and age.

One of the biggest innovations includes technology that just changed almost everything about the new generation. You were not raised with technology around you, and that is why you might feel like there is a communication gap between you and your children! This raising children guide will tell you exactly how your children feel and what you can do to help them. If you follow these tactics of this how to raise a child from a young age, your children will definitely grow up to become responsible individuals in society. You will see how that communication gap disappears – the second you understand how they feel! The truth is that this generation is a lot more sensitive than yours, and you need to create a mental and emotional bond with your child.

Peanut Butter and Grace is kids raising guide that has been merged into DIY Crafts. So follow DIYCraftsy to learn more about how to raise a child.

The Basics of raising kids:

The “basics” section will cover the bare minimum you need to do for your children to stay sane. These responsibilities lie on you if your children are still younger than 18 or just not stable enough to take care of these things. The best thing you can do for yourself is to instill all of these values in your children at a young age.

1) Sleep

When it comes to babies, you will have to spend many sleepless nights taking care of them. It is important to start sleep training with your child after a few months. Why is that? It’s because you can’t go on for months staying up at night. Especially if you’re a working woman or man, it is important to give the attention that your child needs during the first few months and then train them to sleep on at a fixed time. Many sleep experts agree that babies do learn to sleep on their own, even without training.

The two techniques for sleep training your baby include – graduated extinction – babies are lowered to cry for short intervals only – and bedtime fading – the parents delay the bedtime by a few minutes to make the baby tired – and this all will help the babies with good sleep patterns.

Sleep Paralysis is a sleep problem that many people have started to experience over time, and your child may experience it during their teenage years. It is a very horrifying experience as it occurs while a person is sleeping, and their brain wakes up, but the body is still asleep. According to research, the percentage has been said to increase over the last decade between teenagers; however, it has no real harm or any side effects. You can be there for your child and listen to them when this happens – try comforting and relaxing them.

2) Food

It’s recommended to breastfeed your child if it works for you without changing up your diet. You don’t really have to live up to society's standards and still do it if the doctor asks you to switch up your diet. According to pediatricians, babies are supposed to be breastfed for the first six months, and then a range of solid foods can be fed to them. Furthermore, when it comes to breastfeeding, understand that it’s not for everyone – even less than six months is totally alright, and then you can incorporate solid foods into your baby’s diet.

Teenagers can be a little difficult to work with, as they are usually going through many hormonal changes, which can also affect their taste buds! However, you can’t lose yourself in the process, and this is why it’s important to still good food values in your child since they’re a baby. Don’t order takeaway or make special food for a pickup child, instead try using rainbow coloring to make the good look interesting, ask them to prepare the food with you, and add new ingredients into their salads, etc.

3. Discipline

Discipline is usually an essential part of your child’s growth. If you let them do anything you want, they will go off the rails. When it comes to toddlers, you will definitely have to be very patient and consistent. You might be tempted to raise your voice at them as that’s all you know from your childhood. However, as mentioned above, the gen z generation is susceptible, and you need to create a strong emotional and mental bond with your little one. They’re going to trust you a lot more if you don’t raise your voice or hands at them.

If your little child is throwing a tantrum, try to understand that it can be tough for this little body to hold so much emotion. You can start by asking them to learn a few breathing exercises with you. Whenever they come around crying the next time, ask them to take a few deep breaths with you, and this will help them relax – after this, you can ask them what’s bothering them. Now, doing the breathing exercise together will help create a strong emotional and mental bond with you, and they will see you as a safe place.

Instead of punishing your child, you can think of praising them instead. Remind them of how good a person they are and that doing things like these just don’t suit their personality. You can reward your child with a treat when you see them acting well. If you reward and praise them every time they do something good, they will want to do that again just to impress you and get a treat!

Social Problems:

A child goes through many different pauses in their lives – from primary to middle school, from high school to college. During all of this time, there can be many social issues that arise – especially during the teenage years! You need to keep a close eye on your child’s behavior and notice when it changes so you can take action right away.

1) Bullies

Bullies play a huge role in how your child turns out. According to statistics, usually, students get the most bullied in high school and the least in primary school. However, this can be different depending on every kid. You might start noticing differences in normal things like your child’s confidence, speech, grades, etc. All of these things can be a huge sign of something bothering them. Many children choose not to tell their parents about these issues, so you will have to look out for it yourself. If you notice any of that, try asking your little one and then talking to the school teachers. Try to keep this private as you don’t want the bully to find out and lead to potential harm for your child. If nothing seems to stop, consider changing your child’s school as this is a lot more serious than you might think.

2) Academic Stress

As time passes by, the studies keep getting harder and harder. Do you know that fourth graders are learning algebra right now? You probably learned it in seventh of right grade. Isn’t that fascinating? However, this can lead to a lot of academic pressure for your child. It’s recommended to motivate your children instead of discouraging them when you see their grades. Understand that not every child is born with an Einstein's brain, and it’s totally okay to be under the class average as long as they’re passing the class.

Internet and Technology:

This is probably the most important part of this section – the internet and technology. This is something that you didn’t grow up with! You can put up restrictions on it; however, it’s important to keep it to a level where they’re still allowed to have a life. When you were young, reading books or playing with your friends outside might be a way to escape from your school life. Internet is exactly like that for your children – a place to escape.

1) Parents

Parents need to be very careful of what they post about their child on the internet as whatever you post on there will always stay there! It’s recommended not to post any nude pictures of your children's embarrassing pictures online as they might grow up and find it one day. This can also lead to potential bullying in middle and high school – this has been the case in many bullying cases!

Moreover, you can always set restrictions on how much screen time is appropriate for your child, but at least they have 5-6 hours of it every day, and they have a life to maintain on the internet. You can put up rules like – no technology around the dining table; all the devices should be turned off one hour before bedtime, etc.

2) Children

You need to take care of what your children post on the internet if they’re under the age of 18. Ensure that they’re not posting any nudity as this can attach a creepy following on their social media pages. Moreover, you need to give them some privacy when it comes to their messages with friends. However, if you ever feel like there is anything suspicious going on, you have the right to take a look at everything on your phone – ask for their permission first!

Final takeaway

One thing is for sure. There is no one perfect or foolproof way when it comes to parenting. However, your consistent love, support, and trust can help your child grow up in a rather empathetic and confident person. Too much control is harmful, and too much interference can cause serious damage to your relationship.

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