9 Mistakes New Parents Make

6. Making Your Kiddo Believe That He’s Perfect

A lot of professionals who work with kids as a living will tell you that most parents of today don’t want to hear negative comments about their kids. Whenever concerns are brought up, even simple concerns out of love, most parents will think that you’re badmouthing their kids.

Yes, the truth hurts, but every time we listen with an open heart and mind, we are given the chance of helping our kids become a better person as they grow up.

7. Wanting to Be Your Kid’s BFF

One of the biggest mistakes new parents make is this: “Parents not being parents.” What we’re trying to say is that, there are some parents who are afraid to step up to the plate and do the hard things, they just want to be their child’s friend.

Just like everyone else, parents want their kids to love them – they want their babies to sing their praises and appreciate them.

Don’t seek to be your child’s best friend, this will only lead to problems with discipline down the track. This isn’t love at all, but more of a need.

8. Worshiping Your Child

A lot of new parents live in child-centred communities. Wherein, they’re raising their kids in a child-centred home. No doubt, your kids do love this, because nothing is better than knowing your lives revolve around them. For most part, parents don’t mind this at all – because they believe that their children’s happiness is also their happiness. Nothing is more thrilling than being able to make your child happy at a constant basis.

However, in order to become a responsible parent, you should keep in mind that although your children are born to be loved, they’re not born to be ‘worshipped’ and put on a pedestal.  Don’t worry, your child will still be loved, but you’ll also be promoting selflessness over selfishness.

9. Raising the Child We Want; Not the Child We Have

As parents, it’s normal to harbour dreams for the kids. These dreams start the moment the mum gets pregnant– even before the gender is known. Secretly, every parent hopes that his/her kid will be like him/her– only more talented and smarter. We want to be their mentors and put our life experiences into good use.

Though, the irony of life is that, more often than not, kids turn these moulds upside down. They turn into something that we didn’t expect. A parent’s job is to accept this and just train them into becoming a better person. Don’t focus on your dreams, but on theirs.

There will be times when you’re going to make mistakes. Times when your mood will get the best of you, and times when you’ll discover that your kid is allergic to nuts the hard way. Don’t worry, these little munchkins will live. Obviously, you have to apologise every time you did something bad, and rest assured that they’ll understand.

We all make mistakes as new parents, and this is completely normal. Trust us, you’ll eventually look back on the way you raised your first kid and realised that you were a “worrywort” back then. You’ll get the knack of it eventually– this isn’t rocket science.

Good luck to becoming a new mum or dad!