This post is sponsored by ParentEducate.com but all opinions are my own. 

This year has been especially tough on parents. 2020 has presented parents with many stressors, including the fear of COVID-19, staying home much more, an increase in virtual learning and homeschooling, and working from home or struggling to find child care if working outside of the home. it It is normally difficult for parents to be our best selves all the time given the normal stressors of parenting. With everything else going on, it has become increasingly difficult.

As reported by the Washington Post, the resilience that many parents had in the spring has transformed into fatigue and frustration:

 With a growing frustration and no known end to the pandemic and changed conditions it has caused, it can become difficult for parents to control our own emotions. While it is okay to occasionally blow off steam, constantly doing so in front of our kids or directing it at them can be harmful to them. The good news, though, is children are resilient and parents can positively influence outcomes with their own behavioral changes.

One way to help positively influence our behavior is through parenting education to learn healthy and effective parenting techniques. ParentEducate.com’s ever-growing course catalog includes 50+ engaging, online courses that cover a variety of topics from learning how the first three years of a child’s life affect brain development to learning positive discipline techniques. Each course is loaded with the same quality information as the accredited ones taken by the nation’s top early childhood educators. ChildCare Education Institute (the No. 1 provider of online education for early childhood professionals) is the company behind ParentEducate.com. All courses are available 24/7 on any device and can be started/stopped at anytime, providing families some much-needed convenience.

I took the “Positive Guidance Strategies for Children” course in order to work on my own parenting techniques. The biggest thing I do that causes me guilt, and that my kids do not like, is yell. As soon as it happens, I regret it and they get upset. I took the course to re-learn how to best manage my emotions and help guide them to correct their actions with positive, rather than punitive, techniques.  

I learned more about techniques such as offering choices, positive reinforcement and redirecting kids’ behaviors. I was reminded that even when children are disrespectful, it is a parent’s responsibility to still treat them with respect. When children are not listening, it is important for parents still to listen to them. I think the most valuable thing I learned is that our childrens’ feelings have to be validated — they are human, and learning to navigate this world. It is our job to positively guide them by providing them healthy tools they can use as they grow and develop.

As for me, l know I might sometimes not succeed at being my best self but I’m trying my best! And I think my kids know I am, and know that I love them endlessly. Though we can’t necessarily be taught exactly how to parent our children, we can learn the techniques and tools that will help us on our parenthood journeys. ParentEducate.com is a great place to do just that.