The holiday season is coming with endless family gatherings. All your relatives will surely be giving unsolicited parenting advice. Don’t get me wrong, we all know that when someone gives you advice, it comes from the best place in their heart. However, sometimes your great aunt’s advice can be judgmental or irrelevant to the situation, and you just want to say, “butt out!” But it’s family, and you can’t. You just have to smile, nod, and act engaged. We’ve all been there. There’s a never-ending amount of parenting resources circulating around. It can be overwhelming with the amount of parenting books, articles, and videos out there and it’s hard to know which advice you should actually follow, especially when you are told conflicting things.
Raising little ones is a rewarding yet strenuous task. With parenting comes great responsibility and stress. There is a lot of pressure on a parent to raise a child who is kind, caring, and will grow into an independent and courageous human. Sunny Side Upbringing, written by former elementary school teacher and parent Maria Dismondy, helps you understand the importance of instilling these values within your children. This guide suggests ways to inspire children to practice problem-solving, patience, understanding, and honesty.
Sunny Side Upbringing does a great job explaining the importance of keeping family values at the forefront of your day-to-day life and how to teach these values to young children.
Parenting is a learning experience, and you should find comfort in that. As your child grows older, your parenting skills grow stronger.
Remember, no one is perfect, and every parent has experienced their own struggles. Consider doing your own research and checking the credibility of the sources you find. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your best judgment to decide what is best for your child and your family. Follow your gut when it comes to taking advice from others, and when in doubt, do your research!
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Sophia Burkmyre will be a junior this Fall at Michigan State University, where she is studying Marketing and public relations. Sophia likes to go on walks, travel, and spend time with friends and family in her spare time.