Shared Parenting

Build Father-Child Relationship
Develop a Parenting Partnership
Act With Your Child
Play With Your Child

 

Build father - child relationship

Playing is a great way to relax, release tension, develop relationships and bond with your child.
Involvement in pregnancy and
Be involved in all areas of parenting starting from your wife's pregnancy. Attend ante-natal classes with her and be present at the childbirth. You should also feed and change nappies for your baby and attend to your child when he/she falls ill.

Keep in touch with your children even when you are busy at work, i.e. by phone or writing notes to them. Always let them know if you will be home late or absent for a period of time.

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Develop a parenting partnership
1. Support each another
Allow each other to take a break. For example, father can help take care of the children while mother goes shopping. Spend some time together alone when you can.

2. Discuss parenting issues
Put aside a regular time to discuss together concerns and issues regarding your children. If there is an issue that requires immediate attention, you should be flexible and put down all other work and deal with the problem immediately.

3. Work together to discipline your child.
Disciplinary measures are most effective when both parents work together because it strengthens your authority. The explanation given to your child by both parents together will indicate to your child that the matter is of utmost importance

Consistency also counts. If your child learns that he can acquire something from one parent and not the other, he will be able to manipulate one parent against the other.

You and your spouse should also not question or criticise each other's method of discipline in front of your child. This will diminish the authority of the parent who is being criticised.

4. Serve as role models
The involvement of you and your spouse in family life shapes the sexual identity of your children. The son learns how to be a man and the daughter how to be a woman by observing how their father and mother carry themselves respectively.

5. Be a source of information and values
Talk to your child, e.g. talk about his opinions on a movie or TV show. Get him to share his likes and dislikes about the characters in the show with you. You can guide him along and reinforce the positive values.

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Act with your child.

Taking up a role helps your child experience the feelings and thoughts of the character. This helps to develop understanding on the part of your child.

Teach your child through role modelling in areas like personal etiquette and social skills.

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Play with your child.

Through play, children talk more and allow you to enter their world. Interacting with them in their world gives you the opportunity to teach them.

6. Show love for each other
If you and your spouse openly show love for each other and do not quarrel in front of your child, he will feel safe. This in turn helps him develop his self-confidence.

You can start by showing appreciation to each other in front of your children, like saying "Please", "Thank you", and "I miss you". You can also do something special for your partner because this can help rekindle the passionate feelings you have for each other. The best gift for a child is a harmonious relationship between parents.

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