Parenting Tips From A Dad

My partner is very insightful and inspirational, so of course, I've decided to interview him again. I thought it'd be interesting to dive into his perspective about his best parenting tips.

What's your best tip for handling stress with…

… your toddler? "Take responsibility for what's happening. Don't run away or blame because that's more stressful. Inhale deep and release. I remind myself he's my son, and he's a child. I made him. You don't throw away your creations. You take care of them and love them because you're really just dealing with a mini-you."

... mom? "I remind myself to get over myself as much as I can because it's easy to get trapped in wanting and to prove you're correct. Just be gentle with mama. I can do better here."

… yourself? "I get away from distractions or things that don't honestly help me. Sometimes it's easier to go online, eat, or play video games to get away from problems, but those are distractions for me. Instead, I contemplate about the problem so I can grow and move on."

What's your best tip for communicating with…

… your child? "Be mindful. Focus on observing and learning rather than speaking and teaching. At this age, children learn more from what you do than what you say. Model what you want them to learn, like communication, as much as you can."

… mom? "Same thing. Treat your wife like you treat your baby. What I mean is to focus on being understanding by listening and learning. Things need to be balanced in the household. Otherwise, it's conditional love and communication. You can't impress one baby and not the other!"

... yourself as a dad? "I remind myself as much as possible that everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time. Otherwise, you smother yourself with trying to control everything. Family life will become dysfunctional if you focus on perfection and always having your way.  

I also create mental silence through meditation to prepare for moments when things get hot. You can't hear without listening, and you can't listen if you have no space to."

What's your best tip for spending time with…

… your baby? "Bring them outside as much as possible, and be a child with them. Get off the phone. Take your mind away from your to-do list. Move around so they learn to be active. Movement or training teaches discipline, focus, and makes you stronger all around. My son loves when I do lizard and bear crawls - any animals, really. He tries to help me in the yard, too. It gets too hectic staying inside most of the day."

... mom? "It may not sound like fun to other people, but we work on self-development. We talk every day about the growth of our inner world. We watch a movie here and there, but we prefer to snack on fruits and have reflective chats at night. 

We focus a lot on honesty. Honesty promotes play, and as adults, we teach ourselves how to be "grown" too much. We forget to be open. You can't be your full self, child self included, without doing the deep work. We get empowered by honesty."

... yourself? "I'm all about meditation, yard work, and movement. Spending time with myself synchronizes my moves with what the family needs."

Tipped Off

Parenting can be a handful. As dad pointed out, whether it's about stress, communication, or coming together, the same lessons apply for our child, partner, and self with slight tweaks.

What's your dad's best tip(s)?