Parenting Skills

Q:How should adults in 2012 "parent" thier children? Lend your opinion on how this should be done. Think about the appraoch your parents/guardians have taken in raising you. Consider the parenting you've seen of others in your peer group (how your extended family parents your cousins, or how your friends parents deal with your friends), and finally, think about the parent you might want to be someday. How would you go about raising your children? What standandards would you hold them to (if any), what rules would you impose (if any)?

The approach that my parents have taken in raising me is one built on trust and responsibility. There is very little that I don't tell my parents, or keep from them which is good since by being open with them. They trust me more than they probably would have if I was secretive and didn't tell them anything. All of my family is like this where the kids tell the parents what is going on and are very open. So there is no big discipline areas such as grounding, or having privileges taken away. As I'm a parent I think I would raise my children built on the same kind of relationship that I have with mine. One that is open but had known clear guide lines and ones that are respected. However I probably would be a little more stricter with having a curfew with my children as my parents never really have one for me. It is kinda like a "come home before this or let us know your not coming home" scenario. Which is nice to have the freedom but sooner or later that is taken for granted. Also I wouldn't be nearly as nosey as my parents are about who I'm texting unless it is something of concern.

Some standards that I would impose on my children would be that I would have to meet any of their friends. Or any boy/girl that they are hanging out with, or going out with. This is something that my parents haven't really brought up unless the person is at my house already. So then it is a meeting for the first time situation, which this standard could be seen as a intrusion. It would be necessary to see if the crowd of people or person they are going out with isn't someone that would immediately bring about alarm. Also one rule that I would have is a curfew. Since I never have a set curfew I wouldn't give one exactly to my children, However I would give them an idea of when to be home. As a guideline as to come home before or at a certain time. Which would need to be told or understood before they even considered going out with friends, or to a party. Also something else I would enforce is to give notice if they are sleeping over a friends house instead of just not coming home, which some teens do. As a parent I feel like these are reasonable requests for my children.