5 Steps to Start Creating Your Own Parenting Handbook

Being a parent is a walk in the park (said no one ever)…Jurassic Park! 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a parent is a person who brings up and cares for another.

Whether they are your biological children, step-children, adopted, or even grandchildren if you are helping to bring up and care for another, according to the true definition of the word, You Are a Parent. 

Although there are individual holidays for almost every category of parent, did you know that the fourth Sunday of every July parents are recognized and celebrated Nationally?

Happy [Belated] National Parents Day! 

For all you history buffs out there, National Parent’s Day was established in 1994 to recognize, uplift, and support the role of parents in raising their children. 

This July 28th (2 days ago in case you missed it) was National Parent’s Day and I wanted to give a shout out to all of you amazing parents out there. You are awesome and definitely deserve recognition, uplifting, and support for all you do.  

What do I know about being a parent? 

To give you a little background on me, I am not a parent…yet, however, I’ve been providing counseling and coaching services to children, teens, and their families for over 10 years. 

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about parents is that they may not always know what they are doing (who does), but you can bet they are tirelessly trying their hardest to figure it out. 

Parenting GPS

I saw an anonymous quote the other day that said, “If parenthood was a GPS, it would constantly say recalculating.” 

In my humble opinion, this is probably one of the best ways to define parenthood. As a parent, you are raising another unique human. One size does not and will never fit all. 

It’s been said a thousand times that there’s no handbook for being a parent. And I’ll say it a thousand and one times, THERE’S NO HANDBOOK FOR BEING A PARENT.  

The acknowledgment and awareness that there cannot be a one size fit all parenting handbook may be just as valuable. 

Acknowledging this allows us to throw out the so-called handbook that says you Must do this and that or you’re a “bad parent.” 

It brings the freedom for parents and their kids to say no to traditional right and wrong views of parenting. It allows parents to be parents to their kids, to create their own parenting handbook based off of who you and your kid are.  

Parenting: The first rule is that there are No Rules. 

Without any rules, how do we know/figure out what works best for us and our children? 

Like most things in life, this is often done through trial and error. What works for one does not work for all or even every situation. Like people, situations are also unique. 

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. It will believe its whole life that it is stupid.” 

-Albert Einstein 

We all have our own unique strengths, weaknesses, and talents. Parenting based on you and your child’s uniqueness enables you both to flourish.

This also encourages us to be open to identifying our weaknesses and either working to grow in these areas if possible or finding supports that can help in these areas. 

Here are 5 steps to start creating your Unique Parenting Handbook based on you and your child’s needs. 

1. Observe & Ask!
2. Communicate!
3. Have an Open Mind! 
4. Find Strengths, pointing out the positive! 
5. Identify Weaknesses, pointing out the positive (on how you or your child can grow in this area)! 

Being a parent is a big responsibility and can feel almost impossible without the right supports.  

If you or your child are struggling with mental health issues this feeling of impossibility can become a reality. 

Admitting you or your child needs help is not an easy thing to do, but it’s so important to remember that you are not alone. 

I guarantee whatever you are feeling or going through another parent has felt and struggled with. 

There’s a lot of support and resources out there, but you do have to look and ask. 

If I can be of any help here at Inherent Strength, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I’m always happy to respond to emails or schedule a quick free-of-charge phone consultation.

You can also take the Parent Screen at mhascreening.org to see if professional help may be needed.

We all have the ability to reach our goals. Together let’s develop our Inherent Strengths to do so!