What Defines A Good Parent

Someone who is honest, loving, kind, leads by example, thoughtful and disciplines are just a few traits that might describe a good parent. Nearly all parents or parents to be have asked themselves the question, "am I a good parent?" at one point in their life.

The challenge is, each individual will answer the question, "Am I a good parent?" differently as their life experiences shapes their opinions and no two people experience life identically. Some people want to be just like their own parents others want to be nothing like their parents. Some people want to be their children's friend other want to be a disciplinarian and there is a whole sea of variables in between. The fact is regardless of what type of parent you desire to be you will make mistakes, it is inevitable.

One of the greatest traits a parent can have is the ability to be humble or to have humility.

What is humility? To have humility is to be malleable, to be teachable, and to willingly change for the better. Even a master relationship expert who has studied the most effective ways to parent will make their own parenting mistakes. We are humans and therefore we are imperfect. By developing the trait of humility we make ourselves more successful as parents. We provide opportunities to change and overcome our faults. Humility is not being weak it is recognizing ones weaknesses and determining how to strengthen them and make them strengths.

As parents embrace humility their focus is altered. Instead of always looking at the child or the teenager as the problem they can redirect their focus to themselves as the parent and ask themselves "what can I change to improve this situation?" or "how can I change my behavior to help my child understand better?" Too often pride forms a barrier between whom we are and who we want to be, meaning we are too stubborn to admit our faults that we cannot progress and become the better and improved person we desire to be. Humility does not need to be a public form of expression rather it is private and a personal quest for improvement.

So it doesn't matter if you are really passionate about teaching good manners, getting good grades in school, developing a love for service, creating cognitive learning opportunities, what matters is your level of humility. If you are humble you will grow and learn as a parent drawing upon life's experiences to transform your parenting abilities and traits.