Good Enough Parenting

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Good Enough Parenting
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As a concept

• Phrase coined by Winnicott
• Unrealistic and unhelpful to demand perfection
• Vast majority of parents are good enough

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To parent

• Active verb which denotes positive activities
  undertaken by parents/adults towards children
• A cumulative process not an event
• Anyone concerned with and involved in the care of
  a child can be seen as part of the parenting
  process

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Importance of Parenting

• Most intense in first 5 years of a child's life
• Child most dependent on parents for physical and
  emotional nurture and protection
• Good enough parenting delivered consistently over
  this period enables attachment and fosters
  child's basic sense of security

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Importance of Parenting

• This sense of security is essential for
  subsequent mental health, self-esteem and
  positive relationships
• Once acquired it is a firm foundation for life

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Components of Good Enough Parenting

• Basics physical care, nutrition, protection
• Emotional needs love, care, commitment,
  consistency
• Limit setting boundaries and limits
• Facilitation of overall development

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Components of Good Enough Parenting

• It is the long term provision of these aspects of
  parenting that will ensure the child grows up
  into an emotionally secure, fully developed and
  competent adult.

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Basic Good Parenting

• Low level of criticism
• High level of warmth and praise
• Time spent with children
• Child focused activities

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Basic Good Parenting

• Communication
• United Front
• Enjoy each other
• Reasonable limits

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In short

• Parents need to provide
• LOVE, CARE and COMMITMENT
• That is
• CONSISTENT and UNCONDITIONAL
• In an
• ACTIVE and POSTIIVE way

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Potential Consequences of not good-enough
parenting

• Lack of love, care and commitment
• Insecure personality, problems with attachment,
  low self-esteem, problems with relationships,
  problems with parenting

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Potential Consequences of not good-enough
parenting

• Lack of control and limits
• Conduct disorder, delinquency, criminal
  behaviour, aggression, poor impulse control

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Potential Consequences of not good-enough
parenting

• Lack of facilitation of development
• Education failure and social deprivation