Good Parenting

tart -->children - encouraging them and supporting their
Good parenting can not be clearly defined, as it is veryjourney through life. A child who is emotionally healthy -
often a subjective concept. One parent's definition ofhappy, secure, and self-confident - can often attribute
good parenting may be another's definition of poortheir emotional health to good parenting.
judgment. Cultural differences impact parentingConversely - a child who acts out behaviorally, inflicts
standards enormously as do a myriad of other things.harm on himself or others, and is emotionally shut
Luckily there are a few fundamental standards thatdown is often missing good parenting. Keep in mind,
are held by society as a common measure of goodhowever, that many of these warning signs can be
parenting.the result of depression and other medical conditions.
As parents, the most basic of our responsibilities are toBut when none of these conditions are present, the
keep our children safe and healthy to the best of ourparenting of the child should be addressed.
abilities. A parent who struggles to feed their childSchools will often become involved in assessing the
because of economic reasons, or a parent who livesexistence of good parenting when danger signs
in a less than safe neighborhood can hardly bebecome evident within school. A child who is noticeably
considered a bad parent. The key here is the "best ofneglected physically - comes to school unkempt,
their abilities" - good (or bad) parenting can often beunclean, and otherwise unhealthy on a consistent basis
defined by intent. The care a parent provides for theirwill raise red flags. Additionally, a child who appears
child - that is consciously intended to be beneficial canemotionally unstable, suffers from poor grades,
help us define good parenting.depression, and/or social problems will also be noticed.
For our purposes, a child who is clean, well fed, andChildren who are the product of good parenting will
healthy as a result of the care provided to them byoften be noticed as the children who excel in school,
their parent's best efforts is said to be the product ofhave many friends, and are happy, functioning
good parenting.members of the school community.
Additionally, a child's emotional well being is just asGood parenting can set the tone for a child's whole life
important as their physical well being. Good parentingto come.
means making yourself emotionally available to your