Saturday, November 1, 2008

What is a good parent?

A "friend" on a site that I regular, called Cafemom, posted this in her journal. It is SOOO true!!
Add to it if you wish! What does it mean to be a good parent?

"I had been thinking about this ever since I read this really dumb question yesterday in the Q and A section. It said something to the effect of why can't people be good parents? They bottle feed so they can go out and they let their babies cry it out and how come they don't know how to be a good parent. I looked over her profile and realized that her oldest child was 4. So in four years, she has mastered the concept of good parenting and it consists of how you feed your child, and if you let them cry or not. How puzzling. It wasn't as much what she said, but more how she said it. It was pretty judgmental and her responses were quite defensive. I thought I would write a quick journal and tell you wonderful moms what I think a good parent is. You can disagree with me if you want to, but know that I won't judge you if you do......

I think a good parent is one that before making any decision, thinks about how its going to effect her children.
I think a good parent is one that is concerned about their childs character, integrity, and what kind of overall person they are going to grow up to be.
I think a good parent thinks about the people they allow into their lives and the lives of their children and actually ponders what kind of influence they are going to be and is willing to say no, even if it means giving up on a relationship
I think a good parent understands that they are responsible for their childs education and training in every aspect of life and doesn't shirk it off on someone else and is willing to be a partner with their teacher.
I think a good parent puts any need that their children have before their own, especially if its an emotional need.
I think a good parent spends more time with them that the school system or the local neighborhood kids.
I think a good parent is willing to stand up to family and say no to things that are detrimental at the risk of having them mad at them.
I think a good parent would rather their child say "I hate you" than to let them do something that would ultimately hurt them.
I think a good parent is willing to say "NO" and give a reason being "because I said so"
I think a good parent realizes that their job is to train their kids to be independent assets to society.
I think a good parent is willing to discipline.
I think a good parent teach character and integrity over math and science."

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