Parenthood

Preparing for parenthood

Parenting can be a very tasking responsibility. Why? Parents have to work, pay several bills, pay for rents, attend social outings, watch their health, help their relations, buy material things and take care of their children among others. Arguably, taking care of their children is the aspect that needs the most of resources. These resources include time, money and love. Parenthood is a stage we should anticipate with adequate preparation because of the many responsibilities parents have to bear.

It is always rewarding to give special attention to parenting in or when preparing for marriage. When one prepares for parenthood, though a youth or young adult, one comes to realize why there are so many broken homes nowadays. One will even get to see what mistakes one’s parents have made and are probably, still making. You will also see the reasons for their mistakes and how these mistakes can be possibly corrected. One thing is for sure, when you take time to study parenting in marriages, you come to have more understanding than some of those involved in it already. And as such, you can perhaps help them out of their stressful lives.
However, there are many ways of preparing for parenting. We shall be discussing some of them in the next sentences. Nonetheless, you could still find time to discuss more about it with your intimate friends to expand your enlightenment.

(1) Discover your strengths and weakness : you can simply do this by getting yourself a pen and paper, thinking deeply (with reference to past experiences) and making a sincere evaluation of your characters and personality. These could be your strengths (e.g. confidence, self-motivation, self-assurance, zeal, eloquence e.t.c.) or your weaknesses (e.g. you could be pessimistic, negative or have anger, pride, unforgiveness e.t.c). you can do this evalution with an intimate friend’s help.

(2) Define the qualities you future spouse must possess : these are factors you cannot afford to overlook when choosing a life partner. Examples are religion, integrity, love, care, charity, beliefs, mindset, potentials e.t.c.

(3) Gather parenting-related resources : there are many useful resources one can gather and utilize even while one is yet single. They include:
(a) informative publications and articles about parenting e.g. magazines, books, newspapers e.t.c.
(b) movies that are valuable to parenthood e.g. cheaper by the dozen, what women want, daddy daycare e.t.c.

(4) Study practical parenting examples you see around : you can do this with the help of a journal. Study the parent–child relationships of the homes you know (including yours) and try to find out the secrets why there good ones and other kinds. Find possible solutions to those causes and make sure they are practicable.

(5) Save ahead: no matter how small, let a percentage of your income go to a special parenthood account (you may not even open a bank account. Just note the total amount and your weekly, monthly or yearly target but, ensure you keep a record of it.
Some adjustments can be made as time goes on. But, endeavour to stick to your plan.Though parenting is not an easy task, you can turn its challenges into opportunities. When you are less busy, take time to think of and write down things your parents can do to improve the relationship between you and them. At least, it’s never wrong to prepare for tomorrow while living today!