How to Become a More Patient and Empathetic Parent

Being a parent is the most difficult and the most rewarding job you will ever have. No matter what stage of life your child is in, from baby to teenage years, you will be challenged beyond what you thought you were capable of. Yet the milestones your child achieves, the steps they take to maturity, and the amazing people they grow up to be makes it all worthwhile — not to mention the fact that you love them to infinity and beyond.

Family Care for Children & Youth is a Pennsylvania foster care organization who also serves as an adoption agency for children in foster care who cannot return to their biological families. We are always looking for both families who can provide temporary care as well as families who can adopt our children. As a non-profit, we will gladly accept your donation to help us fund the cost of providing quality living expenses to our children in need. Below, we’ll offer up tips on how you can become a more patient and empathetic parent. Contact our foster care agency today!

TIPS TO HAVE MORE PATIENCE AND BE MORE EMPATHETIC AS A PARENT

Listen More

When your child does something wrong, it can be so easy to jump in and automatically correct them without listening to their reasoning. This can lead to your child feeling criticized and punished for something they didn’t know was wrong to do. It can also leave your child feeling judged, which none of us like to feel. Instead, let your child explain themselves, their actions, and their thinking before you jump in and correct them. This will not only serve to validate your child and his or her feelings, but it will also help you to explain your reasoning behind your child’s actions being wrong, which will help your child to understand why the behavior is not acceptable in the future.

Discover the “Why”

Children don’t do things out of spite. There is always a reason for their actions, which they might not be able to understand themselves depending on their age. Younger children especially don’t have the vocal skills or the reasoning skills to express why they are upset. However, it’s not just because they are “bad” kids. Instead, slow down, and ask yourself why your child is performing a certain behavior. Oftentimes, it’s due to an underlying need that is not being met, and they are dealing with the best they know how. For example, is your child fussy because they are tired? Are they not feeling well, so they are being a picky eater? Once you discover the why, you’ll have more patience and understanding with your child.

Don’t Take Their Misbehavior Personally

All humans are selfish, especially children. They haven’t learned to see things from others’ perspectives yet. This means that their actions are driven by what they want to do, by how they want to do it, and by when they want to do it. Still, when the defiant moment arises, you can become drawn into it because you see their behavior as something against you. Instead, realize that your child’s behaviors aren’t because of you, but are because of something they are struggling with. Coping skills are something humans develop over time, and children just don’t have the self-control mechanisms in place yet to cope. Thus, realize they probably have a need; you just need to help them figure out what that need is.

Remember They Are Just Children

It’s hard as adults for us to truly remember what life was like as a child — to truly remember the time that we didn’t know all that we know today. Thus, when your child is acting out, you have to remember that your child is a child, and they just don’t know any better. Thus, you will have to explain things that are intuitive to you because you’ve lived and experienced them, but to your child are completely foreign concepts. Remember that in relationships we all need grace — especially your kids.

PARTNER WITH FAMILY CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH TODAY

If you are a family in Pennsylvania with a heart for children, consider joining Family Care For Children and Youth in our mission to give every child a loving, safe, secure home. You can help us by becoming a foster family for a child in need. Foster families are temporary homes for children who have been removed from their biological homes for many reasons, such as physical or sexual abuse, drug addiction, abandonment, and neglect or trauma. They are desperate for love, which you could give them. We also need families who are willing to permanently adopt foster children who cannot return to their homes.

Give the gift of you. Call our foster care agency today to learn more!