In the video “Child Development and Parental Influence” I talked about the atmosphere created by parents and other influences in a child’s life. In this video I talk about another aspect of that atmosphere. What happens in the event that parents separate, divorce or end the relationship and the father takes on the role of the good time daddy.

This is a difficult time for everyone in the family and a though a fathers motive may be good when he plays the good time daddy, how does it effect the children?

I talk about why some fathers feel like they must be the fun parent and how it comes about and I explain how children respond to that, as well as the negative effect that it can have on the father/child relationship. I talk about the importance of being real with your children in order to impart those skills on to them.

Parenting is not easy at the best of times but when a separation or divorce occurs it is vitally important that parenting practices are not abandoned by either parent. Remember that you are always modeling and teaching relationship with your children.

Have a look at this video and let me know what you think.

To Your Success,
Norm Quantz

When you think about parenting and the length of time it takes to accomplish the job, remember that it will take at least 16 to 18 or more years devoted to parenting as a primary role. Also remember that just one year is a long time.

I believe that every parent aspires to love their child, to be a good parent and to make a difference in the lives of their children. We have great plans about how we will raise this wonderful child and give him or her the very best chance in life.

What happens though, when a parent gets a little overwhelmed? After all, each child is an individual with their own personality their own will and ideas about how to go about life and it can be overwhelming for parents when things happen that were not part of the perfect plan. What about the mistakes we make and feelings of failure that we have as parents? Many parents worry that the formative years were not as solid as they originally envisioned. What do we do with that, and how do we correct it? What about teenagers?

This video talks about the opportunity verses the struggle when it comes to parenting. A year is a long time. Have a look at this video blog post and let me know your thoughts.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

There are many kind people who are compassionate and want to help and be kind. Sometimes however, people go beyond common sense in an attempt to do what is kind. Too much kindness in an interfering way becomes a control factor.

In this video I use the example of a parent with a 5 year old child. This parent goes to the extremes of hand feeding and even helping the child drink from a cup, believing that this demonstrates love. In this case the kindness actually interferes with personal growth and responsibility taking the child needs to learn. This child is not experiencing the value of accomplishing something on her own and gaining the important sense of self esteem and personal independence.

In this case, the mother has become the controller and child learns to be dependent on the parent. This lays the foundation for someone else to take advantage of the child, increasing vulnerability to another person dominating and controlling her and makes the child vulnerable for abuse. This foundation is not limited to childhood.

It is important that there is a balance between kindness and common sense. Have a look at this video and let me know your thoughts.

With you in Mind,
Norm Quantz