Discuss:
Discuss:
Discuss:
Chapter 1 Parenting: A Rewarding Choice 17
are met. When your child comes to you with
a bloody knee, you can’t say, “Sorry, I’m on
my break.” You can’t resign—or even take
a vacation—from parenting when the job is
difficult. You have to hang in there, giving
whatever help and support your child needs.
Flexibility
Parents need flexibility to survive the
many challenges they face. Flexibility means
being ready and able to adapt to new and
different circumstances. When you become a
parent, you must be able to adjust easily and
quickly to many different situations.
As children grow and develop, they
may pass through phases during which they
display undesirable behaviors. Common
examples include getting into mischief, tattling,
or playing practical jokes. Flexibility allows
you to adjust to these passing phases and the
behaviors your child displays. Often, your child
will grow out of a phase just as you learn how
to handle behavior in that phase. You have to
stay alert to keep up with growing children.
A parent’s daily plans often change,
even at the last moment, due to the child’s
activities or needs. For example, as a parent,
you may have to skip an adult social event to
watch your child play in a soccer match. You
may have to postpone a business meeting to
stay home with a sick child. You may have to
push back mealtime when, with your child’s
“help,” preparing dinner takes longer than
planned. In cases like this, a good sense of
humor is just as important as flexibility.
Being flexible in your daily routine will
allow you to enjoy children’s spontaneous
nature. You can share their delight when they
first play in water or see themselves in the
mirror. You can marvel at their first words
and first steps. You can smile proudly as they
show you a new music or dance skill. Sharing
such moments with your child is one of the
most precious fringe benefits of the job of
parenting, 1-3.
Knowledge and Experience
Do people get much knowledge about
parenting before having their first child?
If they take a course like this, they do. Do
people get much experience with parenting
before their first child? Generally, the answer
is no. People who cut hair for the public or
provide manicures must have knowledge and
a license. You must have a license and on-the-
road experience to drive a car. Yet, acquiring
knowledge and experience with parenting is
not a condition for becoming a parent—and
babies do not come with instructions.
1-2 Giving lots of love to a child is an important
part of nurturance.