What NOT to do when you become a parent.

There is a slight difference between spending quality time with your child and putting them in danger. This would be an example of the latter. It is always important to make sure an infant is properly situated in some kind of car seat (probably in the back seat) before even beginning to drive a car.

The person shown above (pop singer Britney Spears) was most likely a new mother at this time, and was not aware of the danger in which she was subjecting her child to. Everyone makes mistakes, but this probably shouldn't happen more than once.

Leashes are for dogs.

Look at the first picture, and then look at the second picture. Which one looks more natural?

Seeing kids on leashes annoys me. There has to be a better way to keep track of children. Strollers work. Whatever happened to the old fashioned "holding your child's hand?"

To me, this seems trashy. A child is not an animal, and they should not be treated like one. I don't really think leashes will help with future discipline methods, either.

Leashes may seem like a convenient way to maintain control over a child, but, seriously. This could have serious consequences on their future mentality.

Parents and children as friends.

A lot of children tend to think of their parents as enemies. When a child is at fault and their parents have no choice but to ground them over something they did wrong, this is usually the case.

Since parents always have the upper hand, is it possible for them to be 'friends' with their children?

This can be the result of two scenarios: 1) the parent has lost control of the child, so all that is left to do is to be friends with them, or 2) the parent chooses from the beginning to treat their child as their equal.

When I think about this, the television show Gilmore Girls comes to mind. This show centers around the relationship between a young mother and her daughter. The mother is so young that her daughter thinks of her as more of a friend than a parent / adult. They seem to have a positive, healthy relationship where the mother has more of the upperhand, but, they do seem to interact more as friends.

I think it is good for parents and children to have a bond like that. However, that is one of the negative aspects of being a young parent. There will always be the risk that the child won't take them seriously one day.

T.V. families

"Cultural expectations shade and color the images that parents-to-be form. The baby product ads, showing a woman serenely holding her child, looking blissfully and mysteriously contented, or the television parents, wisely and humorously solving problems, influence parents-to-be." ~ Ellen Galinsky

There are so many outside influences that shape the views of today's generation of parents. TV families can be very misleading to young people, portraying that everything always works out and families are almost perfect.

I remember watching shows like Boy Meets World, Growing Pains and Full House when I was younger. I remember the climatic, dramatic music that was always played in the background while a father and daughter had a heart-to-heart conversation after she had done something wrong. It only took 5 minutes for them to forgive and forget, they hugged, and everything was fine. In reality, parents and children could be in the middle of the same argument for days.

Sitcoms are so far from reality, and all I can do is laugh when I watch them.

Pets, siblings, kids...

One aspect of parenting that I am looking forward to (several years from now) is the fact that I will have a permanent little companion who I will have the opportunity to teach about life. I will have this new little mind to mold.

In a way this is kind of scary. It's weird to think that the knowledge an individual possessed would depend on me. That's a lot of responsibility.

I have a dog... but, what dogs are taught does not even come close to all of the things people have to be taught.

I have two younger sisters and a brother, and I remember babysitting my youngest sister all the time. At 8 years old I always wanted to feed her a bottle and rock her to sleep and carry her up and down the stairs. I think I thought of her as one of my dolls to just take with me wherever I went.

The difference between being an older sister and a parent is huge, though. Sure, I taught her a few things, and read her stories at night, but it wasn't me who she initially learned from - it was my mom and dad.

Parents are the ones who know their children before they are even born, and who the children depend on for everything. I'm pretty sure this would be extremely overwhelming. But, at the same time, it would be a nice feeling to know you contributed a new little person to the world who might make it a better place.

What to do when your child says something incredibly wrong but funny...

I think it is hilarious when babies are learning to talk, because nothing ever comes out right. I found a video in which the parents of a child are trying to get him to say a certain word, which actually comes out as profanity, although not on purpose.

Even though the parents know it is probably wrong for him to be saying it, they keep advocating it.

Of course, no one is really doing anything wrong because the kid just pronounces it that way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcNvoIOGihI&NR=1

I think all parents are guilty of something like this at some point in their lifetime. But, how can you resist? Little kids are just naturally cute.

Discipline; how to keep it positive.

For some parents, it may be hard to find a balance between discipline and punishment. Where is the line drawn? Well, I am definitely not even close to being a parent, but I found what I believe to be a few very good points about discipline that distinguish it from punishment.

First of all, there are means of disciplining that can promote self-worth. This could mean showing a child that you recognize and understand the reason they are doing something wrong. It means showing them you understand, "but," they shouldn't do it anymore.

Another way to go about this is to create a positive climate for the child. This simply means spending a lot of time with them, and praising them for good behavior. Kids always like to know when they are doing something right, and all they really want is for their parents to be happy with them.

There are also harmful, negative disciplinary methods, which aren't effective and should never be used. Forms of criticism and discouragement are not healthy for kids to hear, unless there is a positive message behind it. Blaming, shaming, or being overly sarcastic towards them is not good for their self-esteem. Kids are sensitive and highly impressionable. If they hear that at an early age, they will probably continue to think badly of themselves.