Parenthood is one of the momentous events of life, and can be greatly joyous. However, being a parent is not easy – whether during the first few months after the birth of a baby or later when he or she is a teen. One of the primary reasons for this is the fact that everyone is ready to impart advice to new parents, and most of that is useless. Read on to find out about 10 current psychology studies which you should be aware of as a new parent.
- Do not enforce rigid discipline
In the U.S, about 90% parents admit that they have been strict with the verbal discipline with their own kids, in the form of swearing or calling them names. Instead of assisting teens, this can actually make the problem grow worse. A recent study on about 1000 families in the US has found that imposing strict discipline on 13-year old teens has led to worsening of their behavioral problems in the following year. Even when parents had a strong relationship with their kids, the problems appeared. The main author of the study, Ming-Te Wang, stated that the love and warmth of parents did not reduce the impact of strict verbal discipline on their adolescent children. Even with love and good behavior at other times, they failed to understand that parents behaved strictly with them for their betterment. Thus strict discipline has been found to be damaging in all cases.
- Reduce TV-viewing time for infants
Some interesting facts for you to check out:
- Parents are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that they should not allow their kids to watch TV for over 2 hours every day after they turn 2 years old, and no TV watching should be allowed before that.
- A more recent study on around two thousand kids in Canada from birth showed that an additional hour of TV watching worsened the academic performance of kids aged 2 ½ years even at kindergarten stage.
- The more that kids exceeded TV watching beyond this limit, the worse were their vocabulary, motor skills and mathematical abilities became at 5 years of age.
- Enforce steady bedtimes
Keeping steady bedtimes can actually improve developing brains of kids. A research conducted on 11,000 kids from 3 – 7 years of age to determine the effects on cognitive function due to changes in bedtime has revealed that the third year of life could be an important time for development of cognitive powers, given that atypical bedtimes at this time were found to result in lesser ability in boys as well as girls to recognize spaces or do well in mathematics or read properly. As a parent, knowing 10 superb psychological advantages of learning another language will induce you to let your child grow up in a bilingual environment.
- Exercise improves school performance in children
Regular exercise boosts the brain capability in kids, and can yield a lot of benefits for their overall health. A recent study on 11-year old kids has linked better performance in the subjects Science, Mathematics and English with workouts at mild to strenuous pace. Even in 16-year old teens, the results were observed to be substantial. The performance in Science in girls was found to improve more with extra workouts.
- Too much mothering can be harmful
A study on more than 150 mothers having kids aged under 5 years has revealed that those who believed that kids were holy creatures and women make better parents as compared to men were likelier to suffer from lower satisfaction with their life and be depressed. The bottom line is, mothers should look after your kids but not go overboard with parenting and put their mental health in the line.
- Perform the tasks together
Nurturing kids can be a real hassle, which can become easier if moms and dads have a solid relationship between them. The “chores†is one point where parents frequently have a confrontation between them. However, this can easily be avoided if both parents work together and divide their tasks.
- Compared to non-parents, parents tend to be happier
Some latest studies have indicated that parenthood can be more joyful than painful. A recent research has shown that parents on an average feel better every day as compared to non-parents. They get more pleasure out of looking after their kids than from various other activities. Fathers have especially been found to get more happiness and positive emotions from their little ones.
- Siblings have varied personalities
A latest study has revealed that the similarity in personalities between siblings is the same as two strangers without any relation between them. Even with 50% identical genetic code, this is a truth – although it might be hard to believe. This can be explained by the difference in the environment where kids grow up, the varied relationship of children with parents and their siblings, experiences at school and with friends and so on. This also means that the parenting strategies that can work for one kid may not necessarily be as effective for another one.
- Do not smother your kids with parenting
Too much parenting, also known as “helicopter parentingâ€, can be very depressing for your children – particularly when they have grown up. There is a difference between giving care to your kids and suffocating them with your affections. A study on around 300 undergraduate students has revealed that many of them suffered from lower competency, connectedness and self-sufficiency and greater depression due to too much parenting. If your kids complain of you being too prying, analyze your style of parenting and change yourself for the betterment of your children.
- It is worth attending to your kid first
A recent study has shown that parents having their lives centered on their kids were happier and found their mind more meaningful with the birth of their children. They experienced less negative emotions and had more meaning in their lives when they looked after their little ones. This viewpoint revealed that the more a parent is with the well-being of his children, the happier he is and found life more worth living. So if you are interested in only what is good for your children, it is ultimately good for you.