How To Grow Up Children

Being a Good Parent There are many ways to raise happy, well-adjusted kids, but science has a couple of tips for making sure that they turn out fine. From keeping it interesting to letting them leave the nest, then here are 10 research-based methods for great parenting.

LOL! Joking Helps

Lighten up! Joking with your toddler helps set them up for social success, according to research presented in the Economic and Social Research Councils' Festival of Social Science 2011. When parents pretend and joke, it gives young kids the resources to think creatively, make friends and manage stress. So don't hesitate to play court jester -- your children will thank you later. [Top 5 Benefits of Play]

Dads: Get involved

Forget the stereotype of the bumbling father who doesn't even understand how to change a diaper. Research consistently indicates that fathers are just as good at this whole parenting thing as mothers. What's more, dads deliver a good deal of valuable parenting skills to the table. Fathers strongly influence their kids' lives in a number of ways, based on W. Brad Wilcox, a sociologist at the University of Virginia who analyzes families and marriage. Firstly, dads have a tendency to play rougher with kids than mothers do, which helps children learn how to control their bodies and emotions. Dad's hands-on manner of play also promotes healthy risk-taking, which may influence a kid 's ambitions from the long term, Wilcox told Live Science at 2013. A powerful paternal relationship also brings with it a certain amount of security, as research has discovered that children with involved fathers are less likely to become the victims of sexual abuse or assault, he said.

Be authoritative

Wish to keep your teen from experimenting with alcohol and drugs? The most effective way to do that's to be more authoritative, according to investigators. A study published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in 2012 found that teens whose parents were authoritative (the study defined this as being in control, but with a warm attitude) were considerably less likely to drink, smoke cigarettes or use pot than adolescents whose parents were neglectful (i.e. not in control and lacking heat ).

Encourage friendships

Preteen and teenage friendships might sometimes seem a little problematic to parents (why would anyone need to walk around the mall for hours and hours?) , but these relationships are very important for the development of a child's social skills. They're practicing adult social abilities in a safe setting, and they are really bad at it at first, said Sheryl Feinstein. Friends help teenagers learn skills like negotiating, compromising and team preparation.

Mamas, Be Good to Your Sons

A close relationship with their mothers might help keep boys from acting out, according to some 2010 study. A hot, connected relationship with mom looks important in preventing behaviour problems in toddlers, much more so than in girls, the research found. The findings, published in the journal Child Development, highlight the demand to get secure attachment between kids and their parents, a style in which children can visit mom and daddy as a comforting protected base prior to entering into the broader world. The mother bond could also make for superior love later in life, as the following study reported in 2010 revealed that a close relationship with one's mum in early adolescence (by age 14) was associated with better-quality intimate relationships as young adults. Parents' relationships with their own kids are incredibly important and that's the way we develop our capacity to have successful relationships as adults, our parents are our own models, research researcher Constance Gager, of Montclair State University in New Jersey, said in the time. So if children are not feeling close with their parents they then 're most likely not likely to model the positive aspects of that relationship whenever they reach maturity.

Let Go

When the children fly the nest, study indicates it's best to allow them to go. College freshmen with hovering, interfering helicopter parents are more likely to be stressed, self-conscious and not as open to new experiences than their counterparts with more relaxed moms and dads. That doesn't mean you should kick your offspring into the curb in 18, but if you discover yourself calling your kid 's professors to argue about his mark, it may be time to measure.