Do you have any tips for parenting?!
Question:
Do you have any tips for parenting?
Answers:
A parent's responsibility is to teach their child how to make good decisions.
Sheltering your child (e.g. homeschooling) won't work because there's no healthy way to keep them away from anything and everything that's potentially harmful or corrupt.
Controlling your child won't work because (s)he WILL rebel, and when that happens (s)he will behave worse than (s)he would have had you not been strict enough.
However, if you teach your child how to make good decisions and then trust them to do so, you will have little to nothing to worry about. :)
Focus on cause and effect relationships (what will most likely happen if you do that?), natural consequences (you don't need to argue with an older child about wearing a coat on a cool day... remind him/her that it may be a good idea to wear one and then let him/her decide... if (s)he goes without a coat, (s)he will learn from the natural consequences of being cold), logical consequences (the punishment fits the crime), and learning from mistakes.
Another very important thing is to foster self-respect. A person who truly respects and values him/herself for who (s)he is will respect and value others for who they are, too. A person who is unaccepting of him/herself for who (s)he is will not be able to be accepting of others.
ALWAYS follow through on your threats. Don't tell a child to do something more than once. If you'll do they'll know that you don't really mean it the first time.
Keep in mind that people seldom disappoint... they will behave as you expect them to behave. Children are particularly impressionable.