The Most Important Parenting Questions – Where Do You Stand?

Parenting always comes with questions the answers to which are often not clear and there’s much you have to figure out on your own. It can be fun, sometimes confusing and sometimes frightening as you go about figuring out how to respond to situations. If you are wondering where you stand in comparison to others on these common parenting questions, go through this list for some clarity.

Top Parenting Questions and Answers

Here we give you answers to some of the most common parenting questions that all parents will come to face at some point.

1. How Do I Get My Infant to Sleep?

This is one of those parenting questions for new parents that are often perplexing because there is no precise answer. All babies have unique sleep patterns and reasons to why they sleep how they do or why they have troubles. In fact, some babies even need a full year to develop a proper sleep cycle in the night. To help them associate bed with sleep, put them in the crib when they are sleepy and not fully asleep. This helps build an association that being covered with a blanket means sleep time. You can begin their sleep training by the time they are 6 months old.

2. How Are We Going to Support This Child?

Among the most important questions to ask your spouse about parenting is how each one of you will decide the roles you will take up. You may both have worked hard to build a career, but one of you will have to stay back at home initially to look after the baby. Supporting two people and a baby one salary will mean serious sacrifices in your life.

3. How Do I Stop My Two Kids from Fighting?

Sibling rivalry is common and reminding them that they share the same blood doesn’t work, and neither will support the younger one most of the time. Avoid having a favourite child and show the same level of love and attention to both. The house rules you set must be strictly followed by both, and neither one gets off easy based on their age or gender. Handle their fights calmly and be fair and firm in your disciplinary actions.

4. What’s The Right Age to Allow My Kids to Date?

The term dating has evolved quite a bit from what it used to be due to technology that allows instant contact through messengers and video calls. Sometimes even kids as young as fifth grade believe they’re dating someone when all they’re really doing is text a lot. It’s hard to assign an age as the right start for dating as different kids mature emotionally at different ages, and it is up to you to explain to them the differences between close friendships and romance. With an open dialogue, you can both arrive organically at when your kid is ready to go out with someone.

5. When is The Right Time to Speak to My Kids About Sex?

While being one of the most uncomfortable topics to talk about to your kids, it’s also one of the most important. There’s nobody better than you to inculcate the best values about sex in your children. Being naturally curious, children will soon wonder about their bodies and how they came to be. To explain how babies are made you can start with metaphors such as seeding, and once they are older, you can explain to them where the seed comes from and what it does. It’s also essential to talk about relationships and love in the context of sex rather than just the act.

6. My Child is Being Bullied by His Peers; What Can I Do?

Although bullying is heavily frowned upon, there would be circumstances where your child is a victim. Bullying can take many forms and is not only limited to the physical. Speaking to the parents and principals can improve things but cannot stop it ultimately. As a parent, you need to be supportive of your child and help them to stand up for themselves and never allow anybody to convince them that they deserve to be disrespected. Sending them to martial arts classes is a great way to help them build confidence and level-headedness in tough situations and even resolving one when it gets physical.

7. How Important Are Grades to My Child’s Success?

Over the years, parents have understood that grades are not reliable in predicting children’s future as many tend to be late bloomers and may deviate as they grow older. Two of the things that are a good predictor of success are the love for learning new things and the willingness to work hard to achieve something. It’s good to pay heed to grades; however, as it can predict other problems such as learning difficulties or low self-esteem.

8. Can I Reward My Child with Money to Teach Them it’s Value?

Rewarding them with money for tasks can turn into a bad habit, especially if you begin at a young age. Before they learn to do things for rewards, they need to learn the importance of helping out and sharing chores as part of the family. When they are older, you can give them pocket money and ask them to write down how they intend to spend it. That’s a good lesson in financial management.

9. How to Get Through to My Stubborn Child?

Although it’s a common experience, this one definitely doesn’t belong in the parenting trivia questions and answers. Non-compliance is something every parent is bound to experience. However, a persistently stubborn child can grow up to be problematic. The trick is to pick your battle wisely; it’s not worth engaging with them in an argument regarding insignificant things. Don’t just request them to do something, also tell them what you will do when they listen to you. Like, finishing homework sooner means more playtime.

10. How Do I Best Raise My Child as a Co-Parent?

Co-parenting offers a flexible way for both parents to be actively involved in the child’s life. Before you get down to it, sit with your former partner and go over co-parenting questions such as:

• Who will provide the “home base” for the child?
• How will you share the cost of education and extracurricular activities?
• How will you go about settling disagreements that affect the child?
• How will you restrict the child’s use of social media or mobile phones

Babies do not come with instructions; your journey as a parent is a unique learning experience. What works for another parent may not work for you. Therefore these questions give you a glimpse of what to expect and how you can arrive at solutions to your own situations.

Also Read:

Questions to Ask Your Child to Get to Know Them Better
School Admission Interview Questions & Answers for Parents
Questions to Ask During a Parent-Teacher Conference