Focus on What Counts – Raising Your Child with Positive Parenting
Transcript
Heading: Focus on What Counts – Raising Your Child with Positive Parenting
Narrator: Focus on What Counts – Raising Your Child with Positive Parenting
Remember when you were an expectant parent? What hopes and dreams did you have for your child? Did you want them to be healthy and happy? Or become a decent and successful person?
As your child grows up, you might find it difficult to strike a balance between loving and guiding them. There are moments where you might feel frustrated, or even doubtful of yourself as a parent. With all the parenting advice around, which should you follow? What does your child really need from you?
Super: Positive Parenting
Narrator: Many parents have heard about Positive Parenting, the foundation of which is to raise your child in a loving and respectful way, to build a good parent-child relationship, to guide and encourage them in a constructive and non-hurtful manner according to their unique characteristics, while nurturing their virtues and values.
Super: D-E-A-R
Narrator: How do we achieve these goals? Parents can start with the 4 elements of DEAR, D-E-A-R.
Super: Delight in Togetherness
Narrator: The first letter, D means Delight in Togetherness.
Super: Encouragement and Praise
Narrator: The second letter, E stands for Encouragement and Praise.
Super: Appropriate and Assertive Guidance
Narrator: A, means Appropriate and Assertive Guidance,
Super: Respect and Acceptance
Narrator: and finally R stands for Respect and Acceptance.
Do you treasure the moment and try to be fully present when you are with your child? Do your words show how much you appreciate them? When you give instructions, are you also fostering their confidence and abilities? Are you able to respond to their needs and understand their limitations with empathy?
Through these elements of Positive Parenting, we can promote our child's sense of security, self-esteem, and problem-solving ability. They provide a solid foundation for their learning and relationships in the future. The love, effort and time that you give in your child's early years can nourish their wellbeing for life.
Raising a child is no easy task. It's full of challenges, and it's completely normal to feel worn out or even guilty at times.
That's why it's important to find a way to relax, and remind yourself that no parent is perfect. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of your child. Remember, you are equally dear to your child as they are to you!
To learn more about raising your child with Positive Parenting, and applying DEAR in your everyday life, watch this series of videos or visit the website of the Family Health Service, Department of Health at www.fhs.gov.hk for more parenting resources.
This video is produced by the Family Health Service of the Department of Health.