6 Brilliant Parenting Hacks That Every Parent Should Know

Parenting can be a tough task, especially for first-time parents. Sometimes you feel tiresome, desperate and helpless. So when you "discover" something that makes life easier, even if it's obvious in hindsight, it can feel like the victory of a lifetime. Fortunately, here are some genius tips and tricks that make your life easier and solve your troubles. So get your notebooks out and prepare to have an "oh, this makes a lot of sense" moment.

1. Let them do chores—no matter their age

Every child is different. Some kids cut vegetables by the age of seven. Small ways to "help" lay the groundwork for them as they get older and learn to eventually become self-sufficient adults. Improve your child’s strengths and preferences when it comes to chores, and don’t forget to reward and praise them.

2. Raise a gracious loser

Given a chance between winning and losing, I think it's fair to say most of us want to dominate. What a shame to lose a game! On the other hand, failure is an important part of life and we want to raise our children to be adults who can handle failure gracefully.

3. Be a better “audience” for your older kid’s interests

When kids were little, parents had no choice but to indulge in the things they were obsessed with, whether it was dinosaurs, trains, ponies, or garbage trucks. They rely on us to help them understand every fact and read every book parents can get their hands on their favorite topic. Hence, you should be a better "audience" for older kids' interests.

4. Don’t control them too much

If you are a naturally nosy person, you may be inclined to step in and "fix" every problem or challenge your child has. Some parents are vigilant at all times trying to protect their children from anything. But intentional intervention by parents can often be counterproductive. To learn to intervene more "intentionally".

5. Get better at dealing with tantrums

We can understand why young children get angry when we don't let them do what they want. But how to deal with the situation when we give them exactly what we think they want and they're still not satisfied? Trick them into playing what one former children’s mental health counselor calls a quick “brain game”. If they’re not into games, you could also try using this script, which works wonders for at least one mom out there. It involves deep breathing, “shaking” it off, and listening ears—all of which leads to a more productive conversation.

6. Detox your kids from their screens

So for many of our kids, tablets and smartphones became their lifeline to their friends—and before we knew it, extra screen time became way too much screen time, and bad habits were formed. To that end, you can create a family media plan together, to designate screen-free times and zones in the home, and detox your kids from their screens.