ARE YOU THE FATHER YOU NEED TO BE?

Anyone who has more than one child knows that toddlers can be very different from each other. In fact, everyone has their own way of reacting to their environment, expressing their emotions, and of relating to others. It depends, among other things, on their temperament.  The temperament is present from birth. It is also mainly genetically determined, although it can also be influenced by the family and social environment. A child’s temperament influences his level of activity, attention, anxiety, shyness, irritability, and adaptability to new situations. What is a temperament that has an effect on the intensity of our emotions and our level of sensitivity? In other words, a child’s behavior depends largely on the temperament he inherited.

Child discipline – probably the least enjoyable part of parenting.

It can be frustrating, discouraging, and exhausting. It is one of the most common and toughest challenges of parenthood.  As it turns out, using punishment is not the only way nor a good way to successfully discipline a child.

What Is The Difference Between Discipline And Punishment?
Many people use discipline and punishment interchangeably.
But they are not synonyms.

Discipline and punishment are not the same things.

Discipline is the practice of training someone to behave following rules or a code of behavior. 

To discipline means to teach.

Father involvement is defined as men's “positive, wide-ranging, and active participation in their children's lives,” building of social capital, or how fathers provide a support network for children as they grow up to contribute to society. 
Father involvement means:
• direct interaction between a father and child;
• accessibility, or how available a father is to his child when needed;
• responsibility, or managing and providing resources for a child (doctor’s appointments, supplementing family income or child support);
• building of social capital, or how fathers provide a support network for children as they grow up to contribute to society.
More than anything in the world, children want their parents’ attention and love. Further, research shows that when children receive positive attention from and healthy interaction with their parents, they do better in all aspects of their lives (home, school, work, etc.) than children who do not receive this attention. This occurs regardless of how much money they have or the type of neighborhood they live in. So remember, being a good father doesn’t mean making sure your child has all the best toys or lives in the best neighborhood. It means making sure your child has all the benefits of having you in his or her life. 

The terrible two's is an age of childhood parents dread. It can be frustrating, discouraging, and exhausting. It is one of the most common and formidable challenges of parenting. These changes, however challenging, are a normal part of child development.  Children at this age can understand much more speech than they can express, which contributes to emotions and behaviors that are difficult for parents to interpret.

Diversity forces us to confront and challenge stereotypes and tropes, improves our ability to communicate along lines of difference, and fosters mutual respect among groups that may not have much in common.  By broadening our perspectives and changing our hearts and minds, diversity actually can spur progress and change the world.

"It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb that means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.  Whether families live close together or far apart, they always love each other. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents love the kids in their lives, and kids can feel that. Watching other people love and teach your kids is adorably tender — and beneficial for everyone.

Physical touch for children who have this as their primary love language, physical touch communicates love to them more deeply than giving them praise, buying a gift, or fixing a toy. Without hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and other physical expressions of love, their love tanks will remain less than full.  While you may have heard of the love languages, you may not have applied them to the parent-child relationship. It’s telling kids “I love you” in a language they respond to. Saying the words often isn’t enough.  Some ways to incorporate physical touch include hugging, kissing, child sitting on a lap, cuddling during stories, television, or movies, tossing in the air, gentle touches on legs, arms, head, shoulders, etc., back scratches, high-fives, and contact sports.

As kids get older, parents may touch only when necessary, like when helping with clothes or hair. Kids will crave more contact when sick, hurt, tired, or sad. Teenagers, especially boys, will pull back from physical touch. Make sure the touch is positive and at the right time and place. Don’t embarrass it!

Conversely, a negative touch coming from a place of anger can be detrimental.

Quality Time might be the easiest language to understand, but it can also be one of the easiest to misinterpret.  If your child's primary love language is Quality Time, it means that they feel loved the most when you spend quality time with them.  Perhaps more than most, children and parents who communicate in this love language never lose sight of the fact that time is a finite resource and that every minute is irreplaceable. They view time as a priceless gift they want to give and receive in their relationships, and although they appreciate expressions of love in other languages, alternate types of affection aren’t considered as meaningful as time together.

Gift Giving, which means we “speak” our love through presents ranging from small tokens to surprise deliveries.  Of all the love languages, the act of gift-giving is arguably the most often misconstrued. To some, it can seem greedy or as if the recipient is fixated on things versus love itself. That’s not the case.  A child or parent who feels loved through these items might cherish the gift, however small, more than another who speaks a different love language. Every time they see it, it will serve as a reminder that they are loved.

There are five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.
People whose primary love language is Acts of Service feel your adoration by the things you do. Actions that go above and beyond help them feel your love towards them. They can be things like mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, or getting up in the middle of the night to take care of the little one.  You can show love through actions by making them dinner, tea, coffee, or making something special for them. You can show love through actions by supporting them when they cry, need encouragement, and stay with them until you know they'll be okay when you leave.