Parenting, Co-parenting, Single Parenting: Whatever you are doing, just like most things on a day to day, there is always room for improvement. Who deserves improvement more than your children, those tiny little creatures you're raising to be contributions to society?
BEST INTEREST OF YOUR CHILD
Duh, right? It's so easy to get caught up in work and not be treating your job as a mom or a dad like the most important job you'll have. When you look at your big picture, I'm guessing that a large part of it is being a better person for your kids, and leading by example FOR THOSE KIDS.
Communicating with you ex might suck for you, but it's great for your child. Let's say for the sake of this article that you're co-parenting with a reasonable, civil person. Keeping track of the key components in a child's life is vital for a healthy upbringing. Who cares if you don't necessarily WANT to do this communication? Your KIDS don't care, they just want and deserve results. This parenting notebook is a NEED for co-parenters, as the other parent may not have a handle on the things you've been working on or going through with your children because of the schedule you keep. It's not just for co-parenting, however, it works great for single parents who don't have that co-parenting relationship, and is effective for parents in the same home to be on the same page. Here's an example of what the parenting notebook can do for you.
Behaviors: Timmy has been baby talking a lot lately, and at age five he shouldn't be talking like a baby. Regressing is not something that should be allowed, so how can you encourage talking like a big boy, or at least a normal five year old. Looking at habits, and maybe the schedule he's been on could be a start.
Have you been ignoring him when he's talking like a baby? Maybe that isn't the best route to take...
Habits & Schedule: He has been in daycare all day with younger kids, so that would likely be a factor in his behavior. Is there something you can do to modify his schedule?
Playdates: Schedule a play date every week or every other week to encourage fun time with kids his age, maybe even a little older, and record the behavior to evaluate.
Showing affluence/ affection: "I saw you playing with your friend today, and I must say that is the big boy I know and love. I didn't hear any baby talking. That's awesome buddy!"
Other components to the parenting notebook:
Discipline
Injury/ Illness
Expenses
Struggles
Overall Monthly Game Plan
Achievements
For those of you who already have a parenting notebook, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know how it's working for you!
CHEERS:)