At some point in their lives, nearly all adults will become parents. While most of us aspire to be excellent parents, we may become irritated by the apparently never-ending obstacles of parenthood. As any parent of a toddler or a teenager will confirm, such difficulties exist at all stages of growth.

The United Nations on the Rights of a Child recognizes positive parenting as a form of discipline that respects children’s best interests and rights

In this, they outline guiding principles for discipline including:

1. Identifying goals for raising children.
2. Providing warmth and structure.
3. Understanding how children think and feel.
4. Promoting problem-solving

What Is Positive Parenting?

Positive parenting is a parenting philosophy based on the belief that children are born with good intentions and a desire to do what is right. Moreover, parenting approaches emphasize training future behavior.

Some of the benefits of positive parenting are:

• A stronger parent/ child relationship. The parent models character and respect to the child expecting respect in return.
• Greater trust.  The child trusts the parent won’t use power to force the child.
• Better lifelong outcomes.Children who are raised by authoritarian parents have a lower risk of developing mood disorders including depression and anxiety.
• Higher internalized morals. Children who are expected to obey their parents’ instructions without hesitation are less likely to display good moral reasoning.
• A greater opportunity to become leaders. Strong-willed children have a better chance of developing into natural leaders when they are coached.

For many parents, including myself, positive parenting makes a lot of sense in theory. Letting go of spanking, shaming, and arbitrary consequences certainly felt like a better way to build trust and love within my family.

We have a conversation with Crystal Haitsma on positive parenting and the benefits of doing this style. Crystal Haitsma is a certified life coach and parent coach. She offers one on one coaching for parents and this can be found on her website. She particularly reaches out to overwhelmed mums who feel like it is all too much and are setting unrealistic expectations for themselves and for others.

Listen to this episode here:

You can watch our conversation here too