It’s no secret that parenting is one of the most difficult jobs—ever. No matter how conscientious and careful a parent may be, they’re bound to make mistakes here and there. That doesn’t mean, however, that they can’t work to minimize those mistakes and maximize their child’s healthy development. If you take it from Dr. Lori Whatley, a licensed marriage and family therapist, “there are some things a parent can do to avoid being a bad parent.”
While there’s no set of instructions for proper parenting—as every child, and family, is different—there are certain common behaviors which a parent can, and indeed should, work to avoid. If you’re curious what those behaviors are, wonder no more: we’ve spoken to a host of family experts to pinpoint the most frequently committed parental sins. So read on, and if you find yourself identifying with many of the behaviors on the list, don’t be too hard on yourself—after all, it’s one of the toughest jobs out there.
1 Not Challenging Their Kids
“The more decisions your child has made before hitting puberty,” says Kathy Fray, author of Oh Baby: Birth, Babies, and Motherhood Uncensored, “the better equipped they will be to handle decision-making” as they grow older. To nurture that ability to eventually decide “who they are” and “what they stand for,” it’s important to challenge kids to make important decisions at a young age. For example, putting them in charge of family dinner once a week. Though they’ll occasionally “stuff it up,” it’ll be worth it when they turn out “so much more incredibly capable” than their peers.
