Qualities of a Good Parent

Are You Really a Good Parent?

Answer the following questions truthfully to check how good a parent you are (those of you who have one child should read "child" in place of "children" in the following questions):

1. Do you spend quality time with your children everyday?
2. Do you spend good amount of time (say at least 2 hours or more of your time) everyday with your children?
3. Do you converse with your children adequately (conversing is a two way communication on the topics of interest to your children and you and it is different from scolding, giving instructions, sermonizing or one way communication etc)?
4. Do you take at least two meals a day together as a family?
5. When your children make mistakes or fail in any activity or are apprehensive of facing any challenges do you support them as against getting angry?
6. Do you fully trust your children?
7. Hope you believe spying on your children a despicable act if you do?
8. Do you take care to be sure that you are making your children trustworthy?
9. Hope you are not an adversary to your children (and you and your children are always on the same side of the fence)?
10. Have you created an environment at home where your children can have open communication on any subject/event with you without any fear?
11. Have you made sure that your children do not have to tell lies or make excuses to you for any reason?
12. Are you ensuring from time to time that your children are not falling into bad habits and they are following good habits?
13. Are you ensuring from time to time that your children are not getting into bad company?
14. Do you help them in their homework when needed?
15. Do you provide necessary guidance to them in their studies, sports, arts and other activities?
16. Have you made sure that they like a wide range of food and are not too picky? Hope you yourself eat all kinds of good and nutritious stuff as an example to them?
17. When you tell your children to limit TV watching time to 30 to 45 minutes a day, do you follow the same rule?
18. Do you sit together with your children to watch the programs of their choice and which are appropriate for them?
19. Do you console them in their difficult times?
20. Do you tell them what is good and what is bad for them (and you follow those values yourself to set an example)?
21. Do you make sure that they are regular in studies, sports and other activities like arts, music etc?
22. Are you around/with them when they need you the most, say during their exams/tests, illness etc? Do you take leave from your professional activities during such times?
23. Do you go out on excursions, picnics, sightseeing, travel, camping etc together as a family once in a while?
24. Do you tell stories to your children when they are young?
25. Are you making your children confident of themselves?
26. Are you making sure that your children are developing assertiveness without becoming aggressive, mean and rude?
27. Do you make sure that your children maintain the regularity and punctuality in the activities like waking-up, sleep, breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, dinner, studies, sports, TV watching etc? Do you yourself set an example of regularity and punctuality?
28. Hope that under the name of disciplining your children you are not being cruel to them but treat them with firmness and affection?
29. Hope you make sure that they understand that wastage of anything is bad and they act accordingly?
30. Hope you give them ample amount of unconditional love all the time?

If your answers to all of the above questions is unhesitating "yes", then you make an ideal parent and you can be sure that your children will do you proud when they grow into adulthood.