Student’s Name

Professor

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Poor Parenting

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I would like to start by asking what you understand by parenting and how significant you think it is in a kid’s life. It is my hope that at end of this session everyone will have understood different aspects of parenting both good and bad and we will all go home knowing whether we are good or bad parents. Parenting is so important because parents contribute too much to a child’s social, physical, cognitive and emotional well-being. Parents are the child’s caretaker playing a crucial role in the development of the kid and therefore, it makes sense if we focus on the issue of parenting. Therefore ladies and gentlemen, how well a child is, whether physically, mentally or even socially depends on how well the parents takes the initiative of parenting.

So today we are going to tackle both ends of parenting but I would like us to put more weight on the negative side, poor parenting, which many people especially parents have overlooked. So let’s ask ourselves, what is this poor parenting? I would love to approach this question at this angle ladies and gentlemen, that it is the series of actions that parents are engaged in that end up affecting their children mentally, physically or even socially.

I want it to be known to you that, poor parenting can either be intentional or unintentional. What I mean by this is that, some parents choose to be bad parents or rather practice this bad parenting but again, some others are bad parents but they have no idea that they are actually doing bad parenting to their kids. Is therefore important that each parent, especially you who are here today, get to understand what kind of a parent you are to your child depending on how you treat the kid and react whenever you are within and without the presence of the kid.

Many of us here and out there might be asking, how then do I know I am a bad parent? Worry not and keenly pay attention as I am going to outline just but a few of the signs of this poor parenting which we can all use to gauge ourselves. To start with is exclusive reprimand which many of us do. As a parent, the moment you note that every time your kid does something wrong you strongly reprimand them regardless of whether they have told the truth or not, you are definitely a bad parent. What this does to the kid is that, if they used to tell the truth and still be reprimanded, then they would prefer the opposite which is telling lies. I don’t want to lose anyone here because this is so important to us, so please in case you have any question don’t hesitate to ask and I will try to give it my best. Do not discipline or scold your child in front of everyone parents. Let us ask ourselves if this is what we do when our children mess and we are in front of people. I am a parent too and many are the times have felt tempted to doing so but thank God I always overcome. So parents, do not scold your children in front of everyone.

Children tend to pick parents’ behavior and habits and therefore, strive to set the best example for your kids. If you come home drunkard, then it’s so likely that your child might follow the same habits. Please parents, if we want to be the good parents, then we need to give our kids attention and time. Don’t be glued always on your phone and never have anytime to listen to your child. These kind of parents will make their kids feel neglected. I can see some of you trying to share with others and this clearly implies that we have gone through all these or some of them as parents, but it is not too late to do the right thing and if from the little have mentioned you feel like you are a bad parent already, put a smile on your face as there is still hope of being a good parent if only you choose to be one.

Many people who were raised under various conditions as children and are now parents have the tendency of bringing up their children in the same way they were raised and I stand to be corrected if at all I am wrong. Parenting is passed from generation to generation and that’s why a parent who went under the same conditions is likely to bring up the child in the same way. In about 2-3 minutes each, I want you to turn to your neighbor and tell them if some of the things impacted to you by your parents at your childhood age you still use them to parent your child. (After 10 minutes break), I hope now you clearly have an idea of how parenting tend to be continuous and passed from generation to generation.

I want us to very fast look at the impact of poor parenting whether short term or long term. One and very common effects which has even led to death for many is depression. I will ask you this, have you ever been depressed? Many parents who have negative approach to their kids expose them to high chances of being depressed. As a parent, would you rather be a bad parent at an expense of your child’s depression? This is a question I would like each and every person here to ask themselves and get answers internally. Anti-social behavior is closely associated to bad parenting. This is seen especially in children whose parents had bad parenting habits like parental drug abuse, marital violence and other negative behavior. Aggression is also seen in kids whose parents have handled them roughly and have expressed negative emotions towards them. So please parents, if you really don’t want your children to go through any of this and many others, then learn some good parenting mannerism.

Let us now briefly look at the good parenting and see if we also have some of it and how much we need to work on ourselves to be good parents. I would start by saying, the best step and the most important to take as a parent is to admit that you have some poor parenting habits and then work towards overcoming them. As a good parent, learn to listen to your child and try as much as possible to respond to them which then makes your relationship grow. Be a good example and let your child copy good habits and behaviors from you. Rules should also be set but be sure to discuss them with your child and tell them what you expect of them. Hands on parenting is very crucial as a parent is involved in each and every development of the kid and thus impacts the good skills to them. Parents please do not shout at your children but instead try to listen with them.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to wrap everything up by saying that, always strive to be a good parent. You may have failed once, but that does not dictate how your parenting will always be. Let us therefore take the initiative to help our children grow physically, mentally and even socially well. Before I leave this podium, let me see by a show of hands how many are ready to change for the best. I am really humbled and now I beg to leave. Thank you so much”.