Best Way To Raise Kids

Being a Great Parent There are several ways to raise happy, well-adjusted kids, however, science has a couple of tips for making sure they turn out okay. From keeping it interesting to allowing them leave the nest, here are 10 research-based methods for great parenting.

Confirm the shy ones

A little bashfulness is one thing, but children with behavioral inhibition -- a trait which pertains to shyness and extreme caution in the face of new situations -- might be at higher risk of developing anxiety disorders, according to researchers. And parents who shield kids displaying behavioral inhibition (in effect, encouraging this inhibition) may actually make the situation worse. So how do you encourage shy kids? The key is to get them out of the comfort zones without attempting to change their character, said Sandee McClowry, a psychologist at New York University. Why don't you break them of the shy habbits? Research has shown that shyness is a part of some children's personality and an extremely hard trait to change. To put it differently, it's better to operate with shyness than it.

Let Go

When the kids fly the nest, study suggests it's best to let them go. College freshmen with hovering, interfering helicopter parents are more likely to be anxious, self-conscious and less receptive to new experiences than their counterparts with much more relaxed mothers and dads. That doesn't mean that you need to kick your offspring into the curb at 18, but should you find yourself calling your child's professors to argue about his grades, it may be time to step back.

Don't Aim For Perfection

Nobody's perfect, so overlook 't torture yourself with an impossibly large bar for parenting success. According to a study published in 2011 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, new parents that think society expects perfection from them are more stressed and less confident in their parenting abilities. And no wonder! Make an effort to ignore the pressure, and you may find yourself a relaxed parent.

Be authoritative

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

Don't be fooled by their height

No matter how tall they get or grown-up they seem, your children are still just that... kids. And parents of older children especially have to bear in mind this fact, based on Sara Johnson, an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The developmental period known as adolescence lasts approximately ten years -- from ages 11 to 19 -- also it's considered a critical time for brain development. So it's important to Remember that, even as children grow into young adults, they're still in a developmental period that can affect the rest of their life,