5 Subtle Signs That Show You’re A Better Parent Than You Give Yourself Credit For

Positive Parenting Signs: Although parenting should not rely on performance reviews, some days it feels like you’re failing. Amid all the mess, the meltdowns and the mental load, it is easy to wonder if you’re doing enough for your child. Often in parenting, parents are more obsessed with what they think they lack rather than with their numerous qualities. It’s common to forget the good you’re doing as parents due to the high standards you set for yourself. Good parenting is not about perfection but about consistency, connection and showing up even when it is hard. However, there are small, imperfect and subtle signs of good parenting that show that you’re doing better as parents.

Identifying these subtle cues can change your mindset and affirm your confidence as parents. These signals are usually reflected through quiet, small sacrifices, thoughtful gestures or emotional availability, which add up to a deep parent-child bond. Here are five subtle signs that show you’re a better parent than you credit yourself for.

How To Know If You're Doing A Good Job As A Parent

Your Child Feels Safe Coming To You

You know you’re doing something right when your child, irrespective of age, still turns to you for comfort and advice. Children who feel emotionally safe with their parents show higher resilience, better emotional regulation and lower levels of anxiety. When your child trusts you, as a parent, will listens, then you must know that you have already built the emotional foundation they will stand on for life.

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You Apologise When You Mess Up

Even if you lose your temper, you yell and say things you regret, and then circle back and apologise, this is a powerful parenting skill. If you have ever said “I’m sorry” to your child, you are modelling emotional maturity that most adults never learned growing up. Research published by the University of Missouri in 2019 shows that when parents repair after conflict, by acknowledging mistakes and offering empathy, children learn accountability, forgiveness and emotional safety.

You Let Your Child Feel Their Feelings

There is always no need to rush to fix things and console your child, saying, “stop crying.” Allow the emotions of the children to unfold, instead of quick fixes, which is growth and not failure. It is believed that children who are allowed to experience and name their emotions, rather than suppress them, develop stronger neural pathways for emotional regulation. This means that they grow up more capable of handling stress, relationships and setbacks.

Signs Of Good Parenting (Image Credits: Canva)

You Question The Way You Parent

It is actually a good thing to have constant second-guessing. If you are wondering whether you are a good parent, chances are, you already are one. Parents who engage in self-reflection or ask questions like “Was that the right approach?” are attuned to their children’s emotional needs, as per the psychologists at Boston University (2017). It is the overconfident and inflexible parents who struggle most with connection.

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You Prioritise Connection Over Control

Discipline without empathy breeds fear, while discipline with connection builds respect. If you choose calm conversations over punishments (even occasionally), you are raising a child who listens because they feel understood, not scared. Children whose parents used relational discipline such as explaining, empathising and guiding instead of punishing, displayed higher levels of intrinsic motivation and emotional intelligence.

Parenting is an ongoing process that is characterised by flashes of challenge and victory, too often concealed beneath the surface of everyday life. By paying attention to the subtle signs that show your success as a parent, reward yourself with the praise you need and recharge your energy to continue developing.