by Aanya Rose

Created on: November 25, 2010   Last Updated: January 27, 2011

Positive communication with other parents on parenting websites

Parenting websites can be an extremely valuable resource when used correctly. Parents often seek the advice, support, and encouragement of other parents when interacting on the web. For this reason, it is important that parents learn to communicate well with one another when communicating on the internet.

Very often, it is easy to engage in heated debates about topics on the internet, especially when it comes to parenting. Because most parents are protective of their children and feel they know what is best for them, or have a great deal of experience raising children, some may come across as aggressive or overly assertive about what they believe to be the “best” when it comes to a particular parenting subject; whether that is the type of stroller one should use, or the type of food a baby should eat, or the type of diaper a parent should or should not use.

Respecting Other Parents

As a mother of three children, I have learned that it is most important to respect one another as parents, and to demonstrate love and support when listening to and communicating with other parents. Most parents, especially new parents, seek support, camraderie, and advice when they join a parenting forum. They do not come to be attacked. You can go anywhere these days for that. 

As parents, it is not our job to judge the parenting skills, styles, or opinions of other parents. Our role as parents is to serve as co-parents to one another, and as community members. While it is ok to have differences of opinions, it is not ok to bully other parents or to insist that our opinion is superior to all others. No one has the right to "lord" themselves over another.

Parents…we must honor one another when communicating with each other on the web, or anywhere else for that matter, whether at school or at home. One reason for this is many younger mothers and teen mothers look to older mothers for advice when coming to parenting websites. If these young mothers come to community forums and see experienced mothers bickering and bullying, they will learn that this is an acceptable form of communication.

This spreads to the classroom, the playground, and the world. Do we want to raise a generation of children that have aggressive communication styles? No, we want them to learn how to negotiate and communicate positively. This begins with you.

How to communicate positively

Positive communication

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>