The journey to becoming a parent is filled with unknown twists and challenges, yet emotionally, it may be one of the most rewarding experiences. Despite the plethora of theories on parenting principles, here at Family Navigator, we haven’t reinvented the wheel; rather, we’ve combined several brilliant theories into what we believe to be a comprehensive approach. Each of our articles is born from these strategies, aiming to assist others in navigating the maze of parenting.
Perhaps one of the most crucial principles is that while we can offer countless pieces of advice and ideas, the fundamental love and attention a child needs can only be provided by you, the parent. No tool or quick fix can replace quality time spent together, and you won’t find any solutions on these pages that exempt you from this task. We aim to make it easier, provide tricks, focus on solutions, and rely on experience, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to do the work.
And when you do, you may make mistakes, but one of our fundamental beliefs is that we are not perfect, and we accept that. We recognize that this is human, we learn from our mistakes, and we strive to continuously improve. With every small step, we progress on this journey, and we’re okay with that.
We’re so okay with it that we openly embrace this journey, mistakes included, even in front of our children, setting an example that it’s okay to make mistakes, own up to them, and learn from them. Leading by example is one of our main principles; we know that our children essentially absorb our words like sponges and mirror our behavior. And as rocky as this road may sometimes be, we know that it lays the foundation for a parent-child relationship based on mutual trust.
Next, trust is a keyword for us. First, trusting that we are good enough parents and that everything we do serves the best interests of our children. We trust in ourselves to want and be able to improve. If we can trust ourselves, then we can trust others too, and complete trust with our children is incredibly important for maintaining an open and honest relationship.
We also spend a lot of time discussing sibling relationships, which we believe are key for everyone, even those without siblings, or those who are raising an only child, as sibling (co)operation is crucial in every family, perhaps it cannot be overemphasized how much everything depends on it. It’s difficult to accept, or perhaps face, that we set an example in this too, how we behave with each other as a couple, what our relationship is like with our siblings if we have any. Of course, it’s much more complex than this, many circumstances influence it, and we try to discuss each one.
On these pages, we tackle numerous parenting challenges, from the simpler ones to the more complex, but we always emphasize that our aim is to address the issues faced by average families. While several child psychologists have contributed to reviewing our materials, we are primarily experienced parents, not professionals, and thus, we don’t deal with clinical cases. We also urge everyone to consider each situation carefully, as what might seem like a simple challenge, such as picky eating, may have deeper implications, such as being related to another condition.
And last but not least, we believe in positive parenting, openness, and partnership. We try to discuss everything, and since we don’t want to describe parenthood as a pink fog, we believe that if our fuse blows, we can apologize. Real parents, real problems, and everyday solutions, that’s who we are, the Family Navigator.
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