As a mom, of course, I have pride in my daughter but there came a point when I had to recognize that this pride could produce both pros and cons for my child. Today I want to share with you what I’ve learned over the years about being a proud parent and how you can balance these pros and cons to be the best parent you can be for your kids.
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A Controversial Point: Social Media and Family
It’s important to note that there are quite a few viewpoints on this and it’s important to consider them carefully to formulate your own opinion.
The biggest point in this is the privacy of your family. Some parents find no problem in sharing photos with their small circle of online friends but, on the other hand, some are increasingly concerned with the data collection by social media giants such as Facebook. This has to some users use vaguer photos, covering their child’s face in those photos, or not mentioning names in their posts to protect the child’s privacy. This leads to another point: what they will desire to be in the public eye when they get older. While a baby or toddler doesn’t care or even understand what a social media post is, the photos you post on these platforms may embarrass or upset a teenager or adult.
Another concept is the “community” these platforms create and whether they are helpful or toxic. By one point of view, it’s a great way for moms to communicate with each other but it’s rather naive to view the internet as a nice and constantly agreeable place. It doesn’t take a lot of searching to find parents judging each other or outright attacking one another for parenting styles. If this affects your decision making, it can make you question your own judgment which isn’t always the best for your child.
Pro: Confidence
The way someone thinks about themselves starts at a young age which means their first sense of self begins at home. In other words, being proud of them and praising them builds up their confidence and self-esteem from the beginning of their life onward. By spending time with them and encouraging them, you’re setting them up to be self-assured children and, eventually, self-assured adults.
Con: Don’t Go Overboard with What You Think They Can Do
Putting too much pressure on your child to succeed is a crucial point that’s easy to miss if you aren’t careful. As a proud mom, you expect your child to succeed. Unfortunately, this can go overboard and lead to you treating your child with disappointment or even anger when they don’t perform as well as you hope. Remember, everyone has bad days or hard times – even kids! It’s tempting to think a child isn’t working hard enough if they bring home a C on a test, but it might have been an off day or even genuine struggling with the material.
In these cases, it’s important to help or encourage your children to improve. If you yell at them or ground them at the first sign of a struggle, that’s going to make their stress levels skyrocket.
Take the example of a failed or low-grade assignment for instance. Punishing your child because they didn’t live up to your expectations won’t necessarily lead them to improvement. In this case, try helping them find pro essay writers who can help them compose and edit papers to help them improve. This will be much more constructive and help them grow as a student.
Pro: It Improves Our Relationship
If there’s one thing I love about being a proud parent, it’s that it has cultivated a close bond between my daughter and me. She knows that she can come to me and depend on me when she needs it. The pride I take in her and the encouragement I give her has made us closer to one another and if she wants to try something new such as an extracurricular, she knows I’ll support her in whatever she’s decided to do.
Con: It’s Tempting to Clear the Way
If you aren’t careful, it’s easy for proud parenting to slide into the dangerous and sometimes overpowering territory of helicopter parenting. With this slope, there comes the instinct to clear the way for your child and remove obstacles in their way. This might work great in the short run but in the long run, it’s going to hurt more than it helps them because it doesn’t teach them independence or that they can stand up for or do things themselves.
Trust me, I know it’s tempting to try to pave the road for your child and free their life of any struggles but that won’t prepare them for the real world. Instead, use that pride you have in them to encourage them and support them through the obstacles life throws their way. Help them build their strength and teach them that they have it in them to overcome anything life will throw at them.
Being a proud parent can be both good and bad. As a mom, it can be hard to find the balance between being proud in a healthy way and being a proud parent in a detrimental way. Finding this balance means you need to take the time to be self-aware and evaluate what you’re doing and its effects. You are going to make mistakes along the way and that’s ok – you just have to learn from them and grow just like any other aspect of your life.
About the Author:
Jilian Woods is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer having more than two years of writing experience. As a writer, she sees her purpose in producing and sharing relevant content with people who are willing to expand their knowledge base and learn something new for themselves. Apart from her day job, you may find Jilian engaged in volunteering or doing yoga.
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