Furthermore, a parent cannot give what she doesn’t have. Most times, we give so much of ourselves that we get burnt out. When we are burnt out, we are short fused, easily irritated and if care is not taken, we can become irrational. Therefore, one thing we need to do for ourselves to help us to parent optimally, is to ensure that we take care of ourselves. I can hear a woman saying that there are just so many things that needs to be done in a day and there never seems to be enough time to do all. To be quite honest, the average mother does have her fair share of responsibilities. I am a mother myself and I empathise with you. However, you need to see your self-care as something that is critical, because if you break down, you cannot rise to your responsibilities.

To create time to care for yourself, you need to prioritize. Identify the roles that can only be played by you (must do), roles you can delegate (should do), and extra activities that you can do without (may do). You might think that you must do everything yourself, but if you truly introspect, you will realize that there are activities that you must not do yourself. In addition, create time to introspect. Deliberately evaluate yourself to find out how you are doing and make changes where necessary. Engaging in introspection for a minimum of 15 minutes weekly will really help.

Loving Your Children Unconditionally

To be able to prevail as a parent, you need to deliberately work on building a strong relationship with your children. Every child needs unconditional love from the parent. Yes, we know you love your children, however do your children know how much you really love them? Cultivate the culture of expressing love to your children. Tell them often how much you love them, be generous with your hugs and kisses. Let your children never doubt your love for them.

Secondly, you need to build a strong connection with your children. One way to do this is by holding conversations with your children regularly and by engaging in activities together. Beyond annual family holidays, figure out what you can do together with your children on a regular basis and commit to doing it. It could be shopping together, preparing meals together, eating together or playing games together. When you build strong connections with your children, it is easier to influence and discipline them. A positive relationship with your children helps them to build their self-confidence.