Thursday, August 3, 2023

20 Ideas for Good Parenting

These are from the perspective of a Christian and a Catholic.  Disclaimer: I am no expert on parenting.  But this is what I believe in regarding the subject.  For what it is worth. 

20 Ideas for Good Parenting:

1.  Please do not name your child a trendy secular name like Tanner or Zelda.  Name them after a saint or biblical figure like Joseph or Mary. 

2.  Start corporal punishment at the child’s earliest age, but keep it a very gentle method until they grow older before you bring out the belt.  

3. Baptize them as soon as possible after birth, the very next Sunday at the latest.  Choose godparents who will seriously pray for your child and be good moral role models involved in their life as godparents beyond the actual sacramental ceremony. 

4. Teach them the Faith from the earliest age by showing them churches, cemeteries, convents, shrines, and any object of devotion.  Frequently point to the sky talking about God. Use traditional, well illustrated catechisms.

5. Offer your child to God as a potential vocation. Pray that God will call them to the religious life.  Always prepare them for that possibility from an early age.  Buy a Mass set for young boys to play they are priests saying Mass. 

6. Assign each child chores as soon as they are able to stand up and walk.  Like putting away their toys. Build responsibility as early of an age as possible. By five, a child should be able to make their bed, do all personal hygiene, make themselves a meal, put dishes in the sink, do laundry, and nearly any household chore.

7.  Design a system of reward and punishment as soon as they are doing chores, by at least 1 year old.  Keep it visual, like with a chart on the refrigerator, stars for doing a good job, red check marks for misbehavior.  At the end of the week review with them the chart, and give an allowance however small.  Have them keep it in a wallet, purse, or piggy bank.  At five, have them open a bank account with your help. Even at five, have them keep a record of their money.

8. Homeschool.  Do everything in your power to make that happen, including living more simply.  Sign up for a good program like Angelicum or Seton.  If you can’t afford it, cut back on your lifestyle or ask for financial aide.

9.Socialize homeschool kids joining a homeschool coop, sports, martial arts, ballet, etc. 

10. Set consistent early bed times  and early rise times to do chores and play before an early breakfast. 

11. Limit carbs in their diet, especially sugar.  Give them  a lot of natural fat and meat, especially red meat often.  Full fat milk daily.  

12. Everything is to make them a saint.  Make the Faith and saving their soul central to everything.  Teach them this is the purpose of life.

13. Avoid immodesty in all its forms as much as possible which means limiting where you go in public.  Have the girls wear dresses and skirts daily.  And the boys pants and nice shirts tucked in.  

14.  Do not argue in front of the kids or gossip about problem people in front of them, especially in the family and at church.  

15. Eat dinner as a family every night at the same time.  Pray the family rosary every night at the same time.  Keep a tight daily schedule for structure and stability.

16. Do not overemphasize extracurricular sports and activities that usually take away valuable family time in the home.  Most evenings should be quiet and at home together. 

17.  Treat the boys like boys, and the girls like girls.  Build men and women, that will act like men and women.  Girls should learn sewing, cooking, crafts, and all things domestic. Boys should learn carpentry, auto maintenance, home maintenance, hunting, and fishing.

18.  Try to have a large family.  The husband should try and make a good living, but the family should live a one income lifestyle compared to the neighbors living a two income lifestyle.  Never use birth control, use natural family planning methods only for extreme hardships, but also to get pregnant.  Live a pro-life, pro-child, pro-family lifestyle.

19. No serious dating until adulthood, only casual group dates chaperoned.  Forbid anything except a hug.  Never time alone.  Teach the value of chastity and waiting for marriage.

20. When your kids grow up, encourage discerning a religious vocation, but if they date encourage only dating people seriously committed to the same Faith and values of good character, which you screen giving your blessing or withholding it.  If they rebel or fall away, keep loving them, avoid petty arguments why they are rebelling, but sit down and seriously and quietly remind them of the truths they were brought up with.  Be prepared with apologetics-oriented discussions to answer their objections if they, God-forbid, embrace secularism or alternative lifestyles.  Morally support, pray for, and do penance for each child, for their salvation until the day you die.

My two  cents.