What are effective parenting skills?

good communication skills


patience


consistency


having appropriate expectations


having knowledge about child development


creativity


a good discipline style


common senseWhat are effective parenting skills?
Reward good behavior with attention, affection and occasionally a treat.


Punish bad behavior with ignoring, expressing displeasure and taking away things that they like.


Encourage personal endeavors and opinions, allow them to start doing things a little independently early. It's instinctive to want to protect your children as much as possible, but psychologists found that children who are allowed to go out on their own earlier, come home from school themselves, have an allowance, ect, turned out happier and well-adjusted adults, and were more assertive toward positive goals.What are effective parenting skills?
Positive re-enforcement goes a long way. Kids hear so many ';No!';s and ';Don't'; ';Stop'; etc, that they kinda learn to tune them out after awhile. Instead of telling the child what you don't want, tell him what you do want. ';Walk inside'; ';Sit nicely at the table'; etc.





Also, we, as parents, are so quick to scold, but often forget to praise. Catch your child doing right, and let them know you not only approve, but appreciate it. ';Wow. What a great job you are doing picking up your toys!';





When your child inevitably does something wrong, don't just punish him. You also need to talk with him. What he did, why he did it, and what he could've/should've done differently. This way, you can prevent most repeat occurrences.





And as another poster listed, Listen. But don't just be quiet while the child speaks. Be an active listener. Respond to the child. Show that not only are you listening, but that you understand as well.
All the other answers are good, but so far I haven't seen listening mentioned. It is so important to listen to your children, and hear what they are not saying as much as what they are.
The ability to reason and compromise.


Patience.


Sense of humor.


Multitasking.


being organizational.
One thing I've learned over the years...Above all else, have patience. Laugh whenever you can. That helps too. :)
Common sense.


Really, my common sense has gotten me this far. Either that or those motherly intincts people talk about.

spots