Valley Trauma Center

Purposeful Parenting

July 21, 2015

Purposeful Parenting Month Deck Image of Children

What is purposeful parenting?

Purposeful parenting is based on the idea that parents should be interested and active in a child's life.  This helps to build strong, positive relationships between parents and their children.  Purposeful parenting includes:

  • Structure & Order
  • Responsibility & Accountability
  • Firmness & Fairness
  • Limits & Boundaries
  • Consistency
  • Problem-Solving Skills
  • Understanding
  • Unconditional Love

Tips for creating a more positive and loving home life 

  • Tell your children you love them, and do it often.
  • Find at least one thing your child has done right each day.
  • Create a safe environment for the entire family.
  • Spend free time together.
  • Plan fun family activities.
  • Teach values and the benefits responsibility.

How to discipline your child in a positive way

Discipline and punishment are not the same thing.  Children respond to respect and positive expectations.  Some positive ways to discipline include:

  • Distract the child
  • Ignore bad behavior
  • Structure the environment
  • Control the situation, not the child
  • Involve the child
  • Plan time for loving
  • Let go of the anger
  • Increase positive behavior
  • Notice positive behavior
  • Excuse the child with a time-out

Remember, the better you are with discipline, the less you will have to punish.

Fun things to do with kids and family:

  • Summer picnics
  • Make puppets and put on a show
  • Go camping
  • Go to the beach
  • Bike riding
  • Play a sport
  • Cook/bake as a family
  • Play board games or cards

Resources for parents

Parenting Resources

Center for Parent Information and Resources

National Parent Helpline
1-855-427-2736

"Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry" - Alvin Price

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