Seven Habits of Highly Effective Parents
Thank you to the Richmond District Parent Association:
Habit One: Be Proactive
- Establish a good relationship with your son/daughter.
- Find opportunities to talk—create open lines of communication.
- Let your kids know that you are there for them.
Habit Two: Begin With the End in Mind
- Ask yourself how you would like your kids to describe your relationship with them.
- Ask yourself how you would want your son or daughter to describe you as a parent and, more importantly, as a person.
- Keep this picture fresh in your mind and use it to guide how you act with them.
Habit Three: Put First Things First
- Remember how important we are to your lives.
- Family has to always come before work.
- If a situation arises when we make you worried and mad, show the worry first.
Habit Four: Think Win- Win
- In solving a problem, how can we do this and both come out on top?
- It is okay to compromise…at times.
- Understand that we have some answers too.
Habit Five: Seek First to Understand
- Don’t just judge always by how you view the situation; remember that we may view the situation differently.
- Remember, you were a kid too.
- Before you judge, please listen—truly listen. We may not always be right, but we deserve to be heard.
Habit Six: Synergize
- For “our” relationship, realize that “we” are a part of this.
- It is a sign of strength (not weakness) to ask for help, advice, or guidance (from friends, family, school).
Habit Seven: Sharpen the Saw
- Take the time to work on our relationship.
- Do things just so that it might improve our relationship of parent/kid, or just to have fun together.