Confident Parenting Skills
Confident Parenting Skills, believe it or not, can often be even more challenging, time consuming and Anxiety provoking than carrying and giving birth to the baby. An important component here can often be, whether or not, plus how often and by which step, the other parent becomes involved. If for whatever reason a second parent is not involved at all, this role can often be undertaken by the support of an extended family member, parent or close friend. This can become (when looking back in time) a first important positive crossroad or negative hurdle to overcome and navigate, whilst two people may possess and practice very different parenting skills.
An example of good, positive and healthy parenting skills would be to discuss together in a fair, open and supportive way parenting ideas and options. However, the start of negative parenting skills would be to openly argue about what is best, in front of the developing child or even worse create a developing scenario of 'Good Cop' 'Bad Cop'. Often what may initally seem like very different and conflicting confident parenting skills, may infact only be different styles of parenting while still holding the same morals and values.
There are clearly three parts of the mind and body needed to be supported and assisted to develop confident parenting skills. These parts are firstly, Confident Cognitive Change for Parenting (thinking and feeling that 'I can' and 'how'), Confident Behavioural Skills (practising in therapy then at home), the last part is giving Constructive Feedback to the progress of parenting skills.