Parenting is a broad job that doesn’t really fit on a resume. Life lessons pop up at various moments throughout the day. Adventures can lead to conversations about all sorts of topics. And skills are learned all along the way.
Often I wish I had a manual for my kids. We all know that’s not how life goes, though. Some days I do better as a mom than others. Regardless, I consider motherhood my greatest and hardest job.
Here are five skills that help parents raise children well:
Cooking
Being able to cook for yourself is one thing. But having the ability to prepare meals for the whole family is quite another. Crafting recipes that offer everyone sufficient nutrition that also taste good requires a lot of skill and is much more challenging than you might imagine. I know it’s a winner if nobody complains!
The good news is that cooking skills are something that you can develop quickly. Once you’ve followed a dozen recipes, you soon get the gist of it, and your creations improve tremendously. I say this from personal experience! When Greg and I were first married, I hardly knew how to cook. Now, two decades and three children later, I’ve gotten to the point I can make up some of my own meal creations and get excited when I find a recipe I think my family will enjoy.
Stress Management
Stress is part of life, but it can be managed. The idea here is to reduce the pressures and burdens of life on everyone, helping them to relax, and accept whatever happens as just another challenge.
For kids, keeping the stress of school work and social relationships under control is important. If stress levels rise too high, it can impact bodily health and physical strength over time, leading to all sorts of issues in the future. Some of the ways we manage stress around here include talking through events, listing things for which we’re thankful, reading scripture, praying, remembering life isn’t all about one person, and preparing for the next time a similar situation arises.
First Aid
Being a medical professional may be a good career background to bring into parenthood! My kids are always getting injured or sick. I’ve learned a lot in this area as a mom! Of course, investing more in learning first aid could, according to MyCPR NOW, could save someone’s life.
First aid, for instance, teaches you what to do if someone gets knocked out or has a cardiac arrest. It also teaches you what to do in the event one of your children gets injured or has an open wound. Little tidbits of information like this make it easy to save a life and avoid catastrophe.
Love
Love is an emotion and a skill. Sometimes it’s hard to find outlets for love. Parents bring their own emotional baggage with them and don’t always take the time to work through underlying issues, possibly from childhood. As parents, we are always able to learn and grow. We can become better versions of ourselves as we go along.
All sorts of resources are available for parents on how to love children better. Considering children’s love languages is always important in this area.
Conflict Resolution
Conflicts inevitably arise in families. You’ve got multiple people with different personalities and preferences living under the same roof and sharing daily life.
Learning a set of conflict resolution skills that work is vital in family life. This helps parents avoid the yelling and hurt feelings that so often accompany family relations. Conflict resolution skills prevent a parent from losing their temper or trying to get their own way. Many of them start with working on yourself and looking for ways to feel understood and not offended.
What’s another skill that’s important to your family life?
