Parenthood And Raising Kids In Australia

Modern Parenting: Replacing the Old Blue Prints

Today’s parents in Australia face a difficult situation.

They must raise children who live in times that are much different than the times they lived in. Technological advances and economic difficulties surround today’s children. Life is perhaps a little bit more complex than it was twenty years ago when the typical life pattern was to go to school, get a good job, and get married.

Now, children are told they can be anything they want to be in life. There are more choices and more consequences. Just look at the amount of banking options for kids in Australia.

Usually, many parents want to throw out a lot of the old rules and regulations they were raised with.

However, some ways of Grandma, Uncle, Mum, and Dad seem tried and true. It seems that some things will always stand the test of time.

Present-day parents definitely face a complex situation. Should they keep the old rules, while just making a few new changes here and there? Should they listen to the onslaught of advice coming from teachers, other relatives, clergy, and counselors?

Maybe what modern parents need is a steady and dependable guide, and that guide is the heart.

Using their hearts as a guide, parents can be inspired to consider new and innovative ways of child rearing. Love, kindness, and compassion will drive parenting decisions.

Looking to these wise ones: love, kindness, and compassion, the mums and dads of today can be sure that when their children are adults, they will look back and say, "We were loved so much when we were very little."

Parents don’t have to strive to be perfect in every thing. And that’s not to say that parents cannot gain something from the many child rearing and self-help books that are bestsellers in bookstores today. But, hopefully every single page in those books is sprinkled with a grain of love, a touch of kindness, and a jolt of compassion.

The entire process of modern parenting would go much smoother if parents would let go of expectations that they have to be perfect.

Raising today’s children is an experience that requires a little room for error. Moms and dads just have to be more patient with themselves.

Of course, some parents may be a little skeptical that their hearts are really the best guides. Sometimes, many parents have not been healed of past hurts from their own childhood, and as a result, some of that hurt may affect the way they raise their own kids.

In this case, the parents need to constantly look inward and examine the motives for all of their decisions when parenting.

If there is some healing that needs to take place, professional help is out there. Oftentimes, the most effective parenting comes from parents who aren’t afraid to learn from their own mistakes.

That is what is called mature modern parenting.

If parents truly love themselves, and have come to terms with any hurts from their own childhood, they can be free to love, cherish and effectively parent their own children. The modern parenting of today starts with the heart.