Sure Start Speke

I've heard the phrase positive parenting many times before and thought I understood what it meant. However recently I've started to re-think how I feel about this. Whilst we do need to be positive about our children and in turn make our parenting a positive experience - are their dangers in being too positive?

What do I mean by that question? Well over the last few weeks I've heard of two sad stories around adoption and people I know. Situations that have led to the children being placed elsewhere and possibly going back to the cycle of destruction they came from. I know for me, and many others, adoption is about trying to help break the cycles that people find themselves in, due to poor parenting and/or bad choices. We see it many times - that without something different happening the children will go on to be unable to function well enough with their own children, and so on.

This all feels pretty negative to me - not so positive maybe. And those stories have stuck with me. So much so that I worry sometimes how much good we are really doing for our children! Of course we won't know that for years to come yet and its the same with birth children - you never know what choices they will make and what life will throw at them in the future. You just have to do all you can with the knowledge you have and strive to be the best parent you can be.

You are your child's best teacher, loudest cheerleader, helping hand and his or her rock. As a positive parent you have realize that achievement is more often than not based on the perception that teachers have of your child.

No one really knows your child the way that you do. In a sense, during the parenting process your child will begin to base their perception of achievement off of the standards you set and comply with as well as what their school reveres a high achiever to be. Know that you set the groundwork for this.

How can you change this perception? Maintaining a positive disposition is one way. Giving tons of praise to your child is another. See the good in every possible situation because this will begin to rub off on your child in the most amazing way. Once you take the positive road on student achievement you will inevitably discover that the optimism will take your child to higher heights.

So an interesting question maybe and one I have no answers to yet! It's a journey with our children and I hope you will travel on that journey with me...