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The Makings of a Preschool Parent
by Stephanie Olsen
You’re a good parent. You love your children unconditionally and provide them with everything you possibly can. Parents of preschoolers obviously face different challenges than do parents of newborns or pre-teens. In order to meet age-specific requirements, parents need to constantly modify their methods of parenting over the years, with the basis of love remaining constant.
Take Care of Yourself
Parenting preschool children takes an enormous amount of energy. It’s a much more physical job than many of us realize until we’re panting after a highly excited three year old. By taking the time you need to keep yourself in shape, to eat right and get as much sleep as possible, you’ll actually be a more involved and patient parent – climbing the play structure to rescue your brave little man (instead of shouting instructions); running after the beach ball when the wind takes it (instead of letting it go); getting dirty in the garden with your budding farmer (instead of letting her dig up your flowerbed, while you catch forty winks in the hammock).Be Consistent
Preschoolers do best with routines and schedules. Because preschoolers are in a state of constant flux with rapid rates of growth, development and skill acquisitions, they need the balance of calming and habitual sequences.There’s a wonderful real-life example of how very routine-loving preschoolers can be. On her blog Mommapalooza, Laura writes that her daughter isn’t napping anymore.
“You see,” she explains, “my Madeline used to watch the last 10-15 minutes of [a TV show called] ‘George Shrinks’ after she finished her lunch every weekday, while I cleaned up the dishes. As soon as the end credits began to roll to the backdrop of the jaunty 'George Shrinks' theme song, she'd jump up, turn off the TV, and announce "Naptime!" And, yes, she really would take a nap.”
Once the show was taken off the air, continues Laura, Madeline wasn’t ready for her usual 12:30 nap. Instead, her mom says Madeline “was quite insistent that we wait for George to come on.”
Enjoy Your Child
Father of two, Scott Dalton, who spent eighteen months deployed away from his kids, says it’s important to: “Laugh. Smile. Play. Tickle. Love. Even when you don't feel like it.” The importance of spontaneous displays of affection and periods of time willingly spent actively engaged with your child is sometimes sidelined, especially with stay-at-home parents. Being physically present (i.e., washing the dishes) is not the same as being with your toddler on the floor, building and toppling towers of blocks together.As Scott reminds us, “the old cliché about only being young once applies to your kids, too.”
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