Once you become a parent, you never get a holiday break. Even on family vacations, you must deal with sibling rivalry, temper tantrums, and power struggles. You might be doing the best you can to provide a great life for your little munchkins, but you are probably too hard on yourself. 

It’s normal to question whether you are doing things right, especially when you constantly fight with your kids. It's time to leave some old habits behind and commit to new empowering ones.

Here are 4 changes you should make in your parenting ways.

Prioritize yourself

Your kids deserve a happy parent, and one of the best ways to ensure you remain happy is by having some alone time. Besides being a parent, you must have other interests you enjoy, and this will be the time to stay in touch with that side of you. Take up a hobby to decompose from life’s stresses, so you don’t get burnout. You can train for a marathon, spend the day at the spa, read a book, or go for a solo trip over the weekend.

Control your responses

The most significant role of a parent is teaching your child how to respond to different circumstances. Kids naturally do what they see you do, not what you tell them to do. If your little one responds in the heat of the moment, you might want to check how you respond when temperatures are rising. Control how you react by taking a moment to think about what you are about to say or do. Put yourself in your child’s shoes and determine if you’d love the reaction. Towering over kids like the big bad wolf will only make them frightened, and teach them to act the same way.

Rethink spending more time with your kids

You probably spend ten hours with your kids, most of which is spent multitasking between dinner, house chores, and more. Spending special time with your child, even two hours of uninterrupted time, will build an unbreakable connection between the two of you. Special time makes you available to help your child with their emotions. Since your kid will be getting enough time and attention, you will notice that some of the negative behavior they engaged in to get your attention will reduce.

Don’t personalize the behavior

It’s easy to personalize action directed to you, especially when you are fighting with your child. For instance, a child may break a rule you established, and you feel like they are disrespecting you on purpose. However, you must remember that your child’s behavior is not about you, even when it’s directed to you. Focus on your child and the action as opposed to how the behavior makes you feel. If you are too angry to do this, walk out and handle the issue when you are calm.

Parenting is not about being perfect, but about being good enough. Your child is doing the best they can, and so are you. 

Remembering this will help you remain empathetic when you or your kid is struggling.