Team Work as a Parenting Skill

There is nothing more important to be said in parenting advice than working together in raising your children and establishing child discipline. It also needs to be said that it goes for all children of a relationship. Even if they belong to a previous relationship, the two people who make up their parents need to work together to form their children's discipline plan.

A common ploy of children's behavior is to ask a parent for something, either an item or an activity. If the answer is not desirable, they turn around and go to the other parent. This can lead to issues when the parents come together and realize each gave a different answer for the activity. The parents are now faced with a serious problem.

The solution is simple. Parents need to work as a team; they should discuss matters openly and come to an agreement. Once they agree upon an action plan, they must stick to it and under all circumstances support each other, at least in the presence of the children.

You can divide the activities between you; that is the most practical and effective team work. After all, you can’t agree on everything, but if you divide the areas of activity, each has the freedom to carry it out to the best of their ability. For example, one parent can handle outdoor activities while the other handles indoor activities..

It’s a good idea to establish a norm that children must take the approval of both parents in each situation. This works very well in most situations except at times when one parent is not available.

No matter which method you decide to use for making decisions, all parents need to agree on the rules and steps to follow. Once you've decided, then go to your children and explain the situation.

Letting your children know that you work together as a team is important. If they are old enough to understand the situation, it will work to deter future parent playing. If they are not old enough to understand, establishing this routine and foundation of parenting will prevent parent playing from occurring.

More than just parent playing is at stake when parents need to work together. Parenting decisions aren't just limited to going to the park or watching TV. They also include what type and kind of education? Which religion or faith a child should be brought up in? What type of child disciplinary measures should be taken? All of these questions and more need to be addressed. So that all parents are on the same page on what they want or think for their children's behavior and child discipline needs.

Article Source: http://publisherscloninghouse.com

Dr. Noel Swanson has written a very informative book and highly entertaining on managing child behavior problems - The GOOD CHILD Guide. Many pediatric nurses consider it a must read for all parents. Also get his parenting articles here.
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