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Parenting

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Defining a Parent Growing up in a single-parent home for all of my life, I’ve learned a lot about parenting. Being a parent is a role that is often underestimated. Parents seldom realize the impact that they have on their kids, and how they can impact the kids’ lives for the better or worse. The world we live in today defines a parent by the house they live in and the car they drive. Being a good parent these days is based off of qualities that are unimportant and unrelated to actually being a good parent. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the way it should be done. Regardless of money and power, a parent is defined by their love, their ability to forgive, and their supportiveness. Parents love for their kids can make a huge difference in their lives. If this love is only temporary, or when their kids do something right or well, that can emotionally hurt the kids worse than many may realize. Conditional love will act as the root of all evil in a relationship between a parent and their kid. It shows the kid that they will be loved based off of what they do and how well they do it, not because of who they are. Unconditional love however, can make all the difference in a relationship. Kids who are loved unconditionally learn that they also should love unconditionally, and that it is the greatest kind of love. They learn that they are loved because of who they are and not what they’ve done. As Margaret Paul explained, “Our children become a mirror of our own behavior, discounting us when we discount ourselves, disrespecting us when we disrespect ourselves,”(Courage 3). This adds to the proof that if parents love their children, their children will love them back. If parents respect their children, their children will respect them back(courage 2). Growing up, I was blessed and fortunate enough to have parents who loved me unconditionally. Although they fought daily and threw me and my siblings into the middle of everything, I learned that through it all they still loved me. It was a feeling of reassurance and grace. Kids will always be kids. By this I mean that kids will always do things that they are not supposed to, even if they were told not to by their parents, and know better than to do so. It is simply the nature of children whether they are 4 years old or 18. It is not these actions that make or break a relationship between parents and their kids, but it is the response from the parents which says the most. A good parent will discipline and scold, while a great parent will discipline, understand, and forgive. Forgiveness is a vital part of parenting. For those parents who have little or no forgiveness, the relationship with their kids will become unhealthy and brittle. Kids need to know that they’re parents understand and forgive them. Forgiveness shows mercy, and mercy shows love. Relationships with forgiveness will be strong, everlasting, and much more enjoyable because of the grudges that won’t be held. A parent is defined by the way that their kids look up to them, and forgiveness is a way to get that respect. If parents seek to become greater and more important in their child’s life, this is one of the greatest ways to do so. Supportiveness plays a vital role in being a parent. Whether that means attending your child’s sporting events, or just always being behind them, supportiveness is a necessity. Parents need to let their kids know how much they believe in them, and that no matter what the parents will be behind them in all of life’s endeavors. This will make the kids feel highly important, loved, secured, and make them more ambitious. To know that your parents are always by your side makes life a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable. When I was a senior in high school, my mom and my sister came to every one of my basketball games. My dad, who lived in San Diego, California at the time, flew back for about half of the games. To me, this made the biggest difference in the world. I played a lot better knowing that my family was there in support, and I enjoyed playing more because I knew that they were watching. That year I earned All-State honors, All-Nebraska honors, and I played well enough to earn a scholarship to play basketball at Northwest Missouri State. This is just one example of how my parents supported me and the effect that it had not only on my basketball career, but also my life. As Andrew Kasch said, “First of all, supporting does not mean letting them do whatever they want to do. They need to know that you care, and showing that you care means making some unpopular decisions.” Making the right decision for your child won’t always make them happy, but it will be I their best interest. Parents who believe that their kids will never be mad at them are sure to be proven wrong. Making decisions for you kid is a difficult task when they are decisions which the kid does not agree with. Being an involved parent takes a lot of time and is very hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It daily means giving up what you want to do for what your child needs to do. It means to be there mentally as well as physically. Being a parent is defined by many aspects, but one of the most important is supportiveness.
One of my very best friends whom I grew up with, his parents are a prime example of how parenting is not based on money and possessions. Him and his parents live in a one million dollar lake house on one of the most beautiful lakes in Omaha, Nebraska, yet his relationship between him and his parents is as broken as can be. They fight often, and he never seems to be good enough for them. His parents do not support him as much as they should be, as they frequently choose to attend parties and gatherings over his sporting events. This does more harm to him than they know and will ever realize, yet they don’t seem to care. Not only does it hurt his self-confidence, but by choosing their events over his, they are saying that they would rather go out and have fun by themselves than go and support their son. This is unacceptable for any parent or parents to do and it can destroy a family within no time. Parenting is important not only to make the kids feel important and special, but it’s also important because kids learn from their parents, and if their parents do things that aren’t good, their kids will do the same things.
On the other hand, I have a friend whom I have played basketball with for 13 years. His parents attend every game, regardless of how much he plays and even if he is injured. They cheer him on, and support him as if he is the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. Not only does this help him to feel loved and nurtured, but it teaches him the importance of support and what support should look like in a person’s life. It not only affects his sports world, but also his life off of the playing field. The way that parents support their kids can make a huge difference in their lives, both for the better or worse. Being a parent is not easy. It is certainly a task that should only be performed by hard-working, dedicated people. The responsibility of having kids is much less than the reward, but it is still a great task. The impact of parents on their kids is one that is life-changing. Parents in today’s society love fame and fortune, but neither of those define what a parent is or should be. A parent Is defined on how they make their kids feel and what they are to their kids. They may be a role-model, a stranger, or not in the kids life, but whatever they may be, is how they’re defined. Whether it's their own health behaviors or the way they treat other people, children learn from what their parents do. What people often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never comes from showing a child too much love. It is usually the result of giving a child things in place of love. Things like leniency, lowered expectations, or material possessions. Most parents seek to be a positive force in their kids life, and they do so by being loving, forgiving, and supportive.

Bibliography

Paul, Margaret. "The Courage to Be a Loving Parent." Parenting and Pregnancy Articles & Resources at TheParentSite! The Parent Site, 1994. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. http://theparentsite.com/parenting/lovingparent.asp
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Andrew. "How To Be A Supportive Parent." Nov.-Dec. 2006. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2011.

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