Science Has Found Which Parenting Tools Lead To Success In Children

Photo by Anna Earl on Unsplash

 

There is so much information out there on how to be a good parent.

The problem is, not all the information is the same. So you may be trying to follow one blog’s advice on a reward system, while simultaneously trying to limit toys and screens (i.e. rewards).

In a nutshell, being a mom is exhausting!

But there is some sound advice proven by science that can aid your children in becoming the successful humans we know they are capable of.

Business Insider reveals a central theme psychologists have found in parents of successful children:

While it takes a range of practices and techniques to raise a child well-equipped for adulthood, some themes run throughout these tips: spending time with your child, letting your child make decisions, and maintaining a happy family.”

What does the research categorize as a “happy family”?

Having both parents in the same household, in a loving relationship.”

This doesn’t mean that children of divorced parents can’t be successful, but that a loving commitment to them is what they should see.

Some specific tools these parents who seemed to get it all right utilize are ones that are familiar to most families, but may be lacking.

 

1. Enforce chores

Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean of freshmen at Stanford University and author of “How to Raise an Adult”, told Business Insider:

By making them do chores — taking out the garbage, doing their own laundry — they realize I have to do the work of life in order to be part of life.”

Kids are naturally egocentric and have to be taught to think outside of themselves.

There is a popular joke about the magical table, where a man believes the table takes away all his mess when in reality his wife was doing it when he wasn’t looking.

Don’t let your children grow up believing they live in a magical house, because when they move out or marry they will be sorely disappointed.

 

2. Teach social skills

In a interesting longitudinal study researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Duke University documented participants from when they were in Kindergarten to when they were 25 and found a strong correlation between social skills and success as adults.

The key social skills were cooperating with others, being helpful, understanding feelings, and resolving problems on their own.

On the flip side, participants with limited social skills were more likely to get arrested, binge drink, and apply for public housing.

Kristin Schubert, program director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told Business Insider:

This study shows that helping children develop social and emotional skills is one of the most important things we can do to prepare them for a healthy future.”

 

3. Reduce stress

Yes, as a parent you probably need to work on reducing your own stress, but we mean reduce your child’s stress.

Kids are getting mental health conditions at a higher rate than ever before and it is in part their adult lifestyle to blame.

Think about it.

Your child is expected to get up early, perform tasks according to how they are told all day, and then rush to after school activities with the occasional crammed meal in between.

Sound familiar?

The nice thing is, children have a simple remedy to reducing stress.

They need more sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet. And reducing screen time and obligations wouldn’t hurt.

While there are so many intricacies to becoming a parent to a successful child, adding these aspects of parenting to your toolbox will aid in giving your child the best chance in life.

We all want our children to be healthy and happy, but sometimes we get distracted with the many roles we have to play in our daily lives.

Now is a great time to refocus and reassess what we want to encourage in our children so they can become the next generation of strong conservative representatives in their home and community- or beyond.