• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Family MattersPractical Parenting Blog

  • Home
  • Series
  • About Ronit Baras
  • Books by Ronit Baras
    • Motivating Kids
    • Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers
    • Reflections
    • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks
    • The Will
    • * Your Cart
    • * Secure Checkout
  • Contact
    • Join Us

Home » positive » Page 2

How to Eliminate the Top 7 Parenting Struggles

Father holding his young sons

Last month, I wrote about the top 7 things parents struggle with: emotions, social pressure, information overload, money, relationship and physical body. I think that if parents knew how to manage these things in their life, it would be easier and more enjoyable for them to parent their children to be happy, healthy and successful. Here are 7 tips to improve your skills in each area and eliminate the respective parenting struggles.

How to manage your emotions

Whenever you have a strong feeling and feel you are about to burst, stop! Examine the feeling, ask yourself “what is that thing I am feeling now?” giving it a name will slow you down and move you from your primitive brain – the fight or flight mode to the “thinking” mode. It will make sure you are more composed in your relationship with your children.

Read How to Eliminate the Top 7 Parenting Struggles »

Published: August 18, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: February 28, 2020In: Parenting Tags: social skills, media, society, list, focus, time management, practical parenting / parents, school, needs, skills, positive, money, kids / children, success, tips, how to, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, role model, emotions, choice, education / learning, relationships / marriage, feeling

15 Parenting Mistakes

Teenage girl looking anxious

Parenting is the oldest and most important jobs in history. Without it, we would not have over 7 billion people living on this planet. Most people want to be good parents. They want to raise responsible, happy, independent and successful kids. Even if we have kids for the purely biological reason of reproducing, we must ensure the future of our offspring, right? So nobody wants to make too many parenting mistakes.

I have been a parent for 26 years. As an educator, I also worked with many kids and had a lot of contact with parents on the way to becoming a parenting expert.

Over the years, I have written over 1,500 articles about parenting, happiness, and education. All my articles focus on the mission of raising happy, successful, friendly, smart, responsible and independent children. The rules of parenting are very clear and there is a variety of things you can do as a parent to ensure that your offspring will survive, be happy, be successful and your bloodline will continue for years to come. What you need to make sure is that you pass on to your kids more than just “blood”, more than just the things that transfers the second you conceive your kids (those genes stored in sperm or egg).

Parenting is also about transferring what is in your heart – your attitude. If you have the right attitude, you are more likely to be able to ensure a good future relationship for you and your kids. If your attitude is bad, you run the risk of being erased from your children’s lives. If you want to know how serious this is, read our post Divorcing Your Parents to see how many people are not in a relationship with their own parents. Imagine trying to pass on your legacy when you are not involved in the lives of your kids and grandkids.

Some parenting mistakes are not easily fixed, but it is never too late to start making a change. Here are some of the parenting mistakes that many parents make that can destroy the relationship between them and their children.

Read 15 Parenting Mistakes »

Published: August 13, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: March 18, 2021In: Parenting Tags: practical parenting / parents, happiness, motivation, social skills, needs, money, positive, success, attitude, fear, kids / children, trust, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, failure, education / learning, rules, feeling, change

Top 7 Things Parents Struggle With

A family lying on top of each other

I recently did an interview for a radio station about parenting. They wanted to know what were the top things parents struggle with. I have seen hundreds of parents over the last 28 years. If I had to list every struggle, the list would never end – parenting is hard! So, I figured the best thing to do would be to group challenges by category.

Parents today struggle with seven main things. Not surprisingly, parents today struggle with roughly the same things their parents struggled with in the past. Today, they just give it a different name, maybe to feel a bit more modern or advanced. Same struggle, different shape.

Parents need to take on a management role as soon as they have kids. Unfortunately, not everyone is a good manager and parents often struggle with it. If they were lucky enough to learn if from their own parents, cool! If not, they may struggle with it as a parent. Unfortunately, people spend more than 16 years of their lives in educational institutions that are obsessed about teaching them to manage their homework but not any other part of their lives.

School does not teach us to manage our time, our emotions, our friends or relationships, our physical body, our money or a budget. So it is no surprise that people struggle with it in their teens and then they struggle with it as adults raising kids. They then can’t teach their children how to manage any off these things either, because no one can teach what they don’t know.

Here are the 7 main challenges parents experience.

Read Top 7 Things Parents Struggle With »

Published: July 21, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: April 20, 2020In: Parenting Tags: social skills, media, society, list, focus, time management, practical parenting / parents, school, needs, skills, positive, money, kids / children, success, tips, how to, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, role model, emotions, choice, education / learning, relationships / marriage, feeling

Character Traits: Swapping the Bad for the Good

Sweet little girl with her doll

In the previous post about bad character traits, I gave an exercise to examine the bad traits parents and kids have. In this post, I will focus more on the good character traits and how to make sure they are “watered” well and kept alive.

Here is the list of good character traits again:

Letter A: Active, Adaptable, Adventurous, Agreeable, Appreciative, Articulate, Athletic, Ambitions, Artistic, Aesthetic

Letter B: Balanced, Brilliant, Brave

Letter C: Calm, Capable, Caring, Charismatic, Charming, Cheerful, Careful, Clean, Clever, Colorful, Compassionate, Confident, Conscientious, Considerate, Consistent, Contemplative, Cooperative, Courageous, Courteous, Creative, Curious, Crafty,

Letter D: Daring, Decisive, Dedicated, Deep, Discreet, Dramatic, Dynamic

This post is part 8 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read Character Traits: Swapping the Bad for the Good »

Published: July 16, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: July 16, 2015In: Parenting, Kids / Children Tags: sarcasm, communication, positive, success, attitude, emotional intelligence, kids / children, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, truth, thought, trust, list, negative, guilt, beliefs, emotional development, control, practical parenting / parents, identity

What to Say When You Hear that Teen Life Sucks

Homeless teen life sucks

Sometimes, when I talk to teens, they tell me that teen life sucks.

It is sad to hear them say that at a time in their lives that is supposed to be wonderful, interesting and exciting. The teenage years are when they form their identity and it is sad to hear that they came to the conclusion that teen life sucks.

It is sad because if they believe it sucks, they are more likely to feel that it sucks. If they think teen life sucks, their subconscious will create a self-fulfilling prophecy, and their life will actually “suck”. It is not the thought that makes it true, it is that subconsciously, the thought will lead to action that will make it true. Whatever you believe, this is your reality.

Read What to Say When You Hear that Teen Life Sucks »

Published: July 14, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: August 31, 2020In: Personal Development, Teens / Teenagers Tags: action, teens / teenagers, beliefs, parenting teens, control, tips, change, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, happiness, emotions, hope, education / learning, self-fulfilling prophecy, feeling, focus, positive, thought, success, attitude, list, how to, questions, teaching / teachers, choice, kids / children

How to Destroy Good Character Traits in Children: G-Z

Girl with thumbs up, boy with thumbs down

In the previous chapter of the helping kids build character series, I explained about the beliefs we try to instill in our kids. We need to focus on encouraging the good character traits we want our children to have. We should not try to prevent the characters we don’t want them to have.

If good character traits are like plants, the fear that your child will develop a bad character is like watering the plant with weed killer. The character will never grow. For good character to grow and flourish, we need to water it and give it nutritious and healthy fertilizer.

In the last chapter, we listed the A to F of good character traits that we want our kids to have. We talked about some of the major weed killers that prevent these good character traits from growing. This chapter covers the good character traits from G to Z.

This post is part 6 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read How to Destroy Good Character Traits in Children: G-Z »

Published: June 30, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: September 21, 2020In: Parenting, Kids / Children Tags: feeling, beliefs, list, control, frustration, mind, practical parenting / parents, communication, change, abuse, parent coaching, skills, aggressive, sarcasm, how to, positive, fear, kids / children, choice, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, trust

Positive Character Traits for Children: Watering with Weed Killer

Mum, you plant the seeds...

The previous Character Traits posts focused on what parents should say to instill positive character traits in their kids. Character traits are like plants or trees that grow over time – all they need is for parents to plant good beliefs as seeds and provide reinforcement as water. Unfortunately, some parents use weed killer as water. This ensures this plant will never grow big and strong and even makes room for some nasty “bad” plants to grow.

It is amazing how the seeds of character sown in childhood can have a long-term impact. Some of my grown up clients (aged 25 to 65) are being held back by some very old and poisonous trees that creep into everything they do. It is as if there is a space in the brain dedicated for each good trait. As soon as the area has been poisoned by weed killer, nothing good can grow there. If a person feels fundamentally inadequate, this becomes part of their identity. If anything were to suggest that they are adequate, they will subconsciously resist with all their might. The subconscious minds is a tricky thing and it takes time and courage to access and heal.

This post is part 4 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read Positive Character Traits for Children: Watering with Weed Killer »

Published: June 9, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 26, 2019In: Parenting, Kids / Children Tags: beliefs, practical parenting / parents, control, identity, sarcasm, positive, communication, kids / children, success, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, thought, truth, list, trust, guilt, negative, emotional development

Developing Good Character Traits for Children: H to Z

Little girl dressed up as a butterfly

Good character traits are what every parent wants for their kids. We all know and believe that this can set them up for good, healthy, successful and happy lives. If we let go of the belief that character is something we are born with, something that is carved in stone, we realize that we, as parents, have the power to instill positive character in our kids.

We can give our kids those traits that they are going to need to run a happy and successful life, by instilling strong beliefs that support and build these good character traits.

In the last chapter, I gave examples of good character traits from A to G and what beliefs will support them. Here are the H- Z (well, H to W at least) traits and the beliefs that will support them.

This post is part 3 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read Developing Good Character Traits for Children: H to Z »

Published: June 2, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: December 26, 2019In: Kids / Children, Parenting Tags: skills, intelligence, emotional development, success, conflict, practical parenting / parents, emotional intelligence, social, positive, how to, attitude, choice, imagination, truth, kids / children, trust, self confidence / self esteem / self worth, beliefs, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, focus, happiness, education / learning, values, hope, list

Healthy and Powerful Character Traits for Children (A to G)

Parent watering a child

This saying is as true for grownups as it is true for kids. We are what we think. If you want to know who your kids are, ask them what they think of themselves. Whether they think they are smart or not, happy or not, friendly or not, they are always right.

If you want to build their character, you need to instill character-building thoughts in their minds. Their thoughts become words, their words become thoughts, and their thoughts become actions. These actions become habits that become their character. Their character determines their destiny.

As I said in the previous chapter, a belief is like a seed, if you repeat the belief over and over again, it is like watering the seed. When the child hears the belief expressed enough times, the seed develops strong roots and becomes a conviction, like, “I am a very responsible kid”. The child stops thinking of it as a behavior and it becomes a character trait, a personal quality that they possess, “I am a very responsible kid”.

Here are examples of thoughts that will help build your kids’ character. If he/she adopts these thoughts/beliefs, they will turn into character of time. It is important to talk to kids about their character, what it means to them and what it means to you. Give them examples of times when they have shown a particular trait in a nice way and how it helped them in life. If you cannot find examples from their life, give examples from your own life, when you showed this trait and how it helped you in life. This will make it is easier for them to adopt the trait.

This post is part 2 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read Healthy and Powerful Character Traits for Children (A to G) »

Published: May 21, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: March 24, 2019In: Parenting, Kids / Children Tags: beliefs, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, motivation, creative / creativity, assertive, education / learning, conflict, thought, fun, emotional development, compassion, practical parenting / parents, focus, needs, skills, positive, success, humor, kids / children, how to, self confidence / self esteem / self worth

Helping Kids Build Healthy and Powerful Character Traits

Paper sunflowers

Many parents talk to me about their kids’ character traits and behavior. “He is a stubborn kid. He was always stubborn” or “She is a nag. She nagged from the first day she came home”. I wonder how much of what these parents are describing is real character (permanent and unchangeable) and how much of it we can change.

All kids are born with their unique character, a personality. This becomes really obvious when you have your second child. You realize that some of how they behave is just something they are born with. You notice that they have a certain character from the very first day you spend with them.

Unfortunately, not all character traits are wonderful and great. How they develop later on in life depends mainly on how we view these traits and how we react to them. For example, many parents treat their kids’ behavior as a result of a character trait. Since character is solid and fixed, they thing this behavior cannot be changed.

This post is part 1 of 8 in the series Helping Kids Build Character

Read Helping Kids Build Healthy and Powerful Character Traits »

Published: May 14, 2015 by Ronit Baras
Last modified: May 14, 2015In: Parenting, Kids / Children Tags: parenting teens, action, personal development / personal growth / personality development / self improvement, beliefs, list, exercise, teaching / teachers, change, Life Coaching, affirmations, persistence, focus, positive, special education, attitude, kids / children, how to

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 11
  • Go to Next Page »

Get Happiness by Email

Sign up to receive posts by email and get my free mini-course Seven Emails with Seven Secrets for Seven Weeks to boost your personal development




    Join Us on Social Media

    Facebook logo Twitter logo Linkedin logo Pinterest logo RSS feed icon

    Books by Ronit Baras

    • What motivates your child? Read Motivating Kids by Ronit Baras Motivating Kids From: $9.95
    • Reflections by Ronit Baras Reflections From: $5.99
    • Be Special Be Yourself for Teenagers by Ronit Baras Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers From: $5.99
    • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks by Ronit Baras In the Outback with Jasmine Banks From: $5.99
    • The Will by Ronit Baras The Will From: $5.99

    Be Happy in LIFE logo
    Book your private life coaching with Ronit Baras and learn how to be happy in life

    Girl speaking at student leadership programLeaders are not born. They are made. Bring this Student Leadership Program to your primary school or high school and you will create a community of empowered, inspired student leaders, parents and teachers.

    Related Links

    • Be Happy in LIFE – Life Coaching
    • Noff Baras – Screen Actor & Model
    • Personal Growth Web
    • The Motivational Speaker
    • Tsoof Baras – percussionist, composer and producer

    Primary Sidebar

    Your Cart

    Speaker Bookings

    Ronit Baras - Practical Parenting Blogger
    Book Ronit as a Speaker for Your event »

    Ready to be happy?

    Happy woman holding a cup in the snow
    Be empowered and set your spirit free!

    Engage Ronit as Your Life Coach »

    Give to Receive

    Kiva - loans that change lives

    Contact Us · Subscribe · Terms of Use / Privacy Statement · Return & Refund Policy · Sitemap

    Copyright © 2025 Be Happy in LIFE · Built and powered by Get Business Online

    Secure HTTPS

    • Home
    • Series
    • About Ronit Baras
    • Books by Ronit Baras
      ▼
      • Motivating Kids
      • Be Special, Be Yourself for Teenagers
      • Reflections
      • In the Outback with Jasmine Banks
      • The Will
      • * Your Cart
      • * Secure Checkout
    • Contact
      ▼
      • Join Us