If there was one single piece of advice you could give to a parent to prvent then f***ing their child(ren) up...

[MrsSeanBean]

what would it be?

Apologies for the typos in that title, should say 'prevent' and 'them'.

Don't indulge/over-react to/ try to appease tantrums. If you give it the calm but firm treatment, most tantrums last less than 30 seconds.

Love your children no matter what and make sure they know they are loved.

Love them and not their behaviour

sorry, need to add a second

try very hard not to hit them

Place no expectations upon them, just give them love

My mother says all children should have "This Grows Up Automatically" tattooed on their foreheads at birth!

She was always telling me to "Leave them alone" "They're fine" "They are busy, don't interrupt!"

And she was right!

Do let them have space and secrets from you as they become teenagers.

Pick your battles - don't sweat the small stuff (and understand that you have to learn what is small stuff and what is worth a battle).

Get off the cumputer and play/talk with them

Keep an open mind. There is more than one way to parent and each child is different. Oh, and the best ways to do this aren't always those found in a book.

See them as seperate people not as what you want/need them to be.

Respect and love them as they are.

If you received very bad parenting yourself, get help to process it. You may be over it sufficiently for yourself but your kids need you to have awknowledged and faced and dealt with it.

Spend quality one-on-one time with them every day.

Great thread, MrsSB!

"See them as seperate people not as what you want/need them to be. "

yy

you are the most important role model(s) your child will have - set a good example for them from the beginning!

remember they are people.

No advice here.

Too busy f**ing them up.

I'll check in ten years from now to tell you how it turned out.

love them and listen to them - always.

Let them be children - it's ok for them to get dirty, graze their knees and eat worms.

Teach girls that they don't have to be "nice".

what kif said.

They have a right to their feelings, whatever they are. However you also need to teach them how to deal with them in a healthy, constructive way.

Show them at least simple, basic respect. But remember this is NOT the same as letting them walk all over you.

But most of all never use them as a pawn in an emotional game (e.g. after a separation, or with grandparents, etc)

(I know that was technically 3 bits but the last one wasn't general enough and the first two needed each other )

love them to bits - they will only get that sort of love once in their lives, and it's your privilege to be that person