Parenting is one of the most important tasks we can ever undertake in life. Through effective parenting we lead our child from infancy to adulthood. Our goal, of course, is to equip them to eventually enter the world of adulthood as responsible and productive human beings. We accomplish this by example.

Need a break from parenting but can’t afford a babysitter? Give a play date a try. A well set up play date will give your child some extra socialization and stimulation. In addition, you’ll get to enjoy some adult time with the other parents who are present.

Eat dinner with your family as often as you can. Eating dinner with your children encourages healthy eating habits. It also allows you a chance to re-connect as a family, to discuss what went on during the day. When you eat together as a family, you know where your children are and what they’re doing in the evenings, which makes it easier to curtail or control destructive behaviors.

When training your child to use the potty, buy them underwear with their favorite cartoon character on it. Children always do better with encouragement. By letting them wear these kind of underwear, they will feel better about using the potty because they do not want to have an accident in their “special” underwear.

Here’s a cool tip for parents of twin babies: Paint your baby twins’ toenails to help tell them apart. As infants, even fraternal twins can look so alike that it can be impossible to know who is who, especially when you are sleep deprived. Assign a color of nail polish to each child and paint just one toenail of each to keep straight who is who!

A great parenting tip is to never physically abuse your child. This severely damages your child, and if you’re caught, your child can be taken away from you. There are better ways to instruct and discipline your child, never resort to physical abuse.

Look into slings and baby carriers designed for twins. They do exist, and they are fabulous. There is a learning curve for getting two babies into a carrier, but the benefits to mom and baby are enormous. Wearing your babies will allow you to get things done with your hands free, and the twins get the emotional connection and intellectual stimulation from being right with you.

If you have trouble getting your child to not do something, it is generally best to specifically instruct them to do something else. For example, if you do not want your child to run down the stairs, instead of stating “don’t run,” it is better to state “please walk down the stairs.” When told not to do something, a child is more likely to instinctively ignore the instruction. Also, it avoids situations where the child might decide to be clever and jump down the stairs instead.

Engage your older children in making sure your home is safe for a baby or toddler. While older children enjoy more freedom in the household, they may not understand why their small toys or art supplies are dangerous to their younger sibling. Explain the dangers and involve them in keeping your home safe for everyone.

When birthdays or other gift giving holidays come around, instead of taking your child shopping, help them make a present. Not only will your child get to be creative and give a unique gift, but you’ll get to spend quality time together. This is especially good if the present is for the child’s other parent or another relative.

Making bath-time fun will encourage your children to have good hygiene. Make sure you have plenty of bath toys for your child to play with. A variety of toys will keep them from getting bored too easily. With color changing bubbles, and water markers, your children will want bath-time to last all night!

If your young child is afraid of monsters in the dark, acknowledge his fears, even though you might think that his fears are silly. In your child’s mind, the monster is real enough, and if you do not acknowledge that, he will think that you do not understand him. A better way is to give him a way to deal with the imaginary monster, like telling him that his blanket gives him “magic powers” against the monster. This way, your child will be empowered to deal with his own fears.

In conclusion, our children learn to be productive well-adjusted adults by following our lead. We show them responsibility by being responsible ourselves. We demonstrate the importance of love and nurturing by providing it to them. They learn because we teach. The tips provided above help us be the teachers we need to be.