Parents in the picture

If I had to describe our parenting style in three words, they would be boundaries, communication, and openness.

As new parents, it took some time to find a parenting style that suited our family with our first child. However, we quickly realized that open communication was crucial for us—not only when our son is young but also as he grows older. We want to create an environment where he feels free to share anything with us. We find it more important that he remains honest as he grows up rather than simply displaying “desired” behavior and saying what he thinks we want to hear instead of expressing his true feelings.

Additionally, especially now in the toddler phase, we believe setting boundaries is essential. It provides predictability, clarity, and confidence. Our son often tests these boundaries, and his body language makes it clear that he knows exactly when he is doing something he shouldn’t. He watches our reaction closely. We always explain why something isn’t allowed and offer an alternative. For example, if he starts jumping on the couch, we tell him that a couch is for sitting. Then we tell him that he can jump on the floor instead. He immediately says “yes!” and climbs off the couch to jump as high as possible with us on the floor. This way, we turn the situation into a positive and new experience for him.

One moment when I felt like we were doing things right as parents was during a walk with our son. We live in a village where traffic can sometimes be quite busy. As soon as we step outside, our son gets to choose between sitting in the stroller or holding hands while walking. When I ask if he wants to sit, he immediately says “no.” But when I ask if he wants to hold hands while walking, he responds with “yes.”

During the walk, he tries a few times to let go of my hand. I explain to him again that if he doesn’t hold hands, he must sit in the stroller because of the passing cars. Without hesitation, he gives me his hand so we can keep walking together.

At that moment, an elderly man walked past us while I was crouched down, explaining the situation to my son. As we continued walking, the man smiled at my son, looked at me, and said, “Wow, he knows exactly where he stands, that’s great!” As I walked on with my son, I had a brief moment of reflection, thinking, “That was nice to hear!”

Since birth, we have been actively naming objects, people, and everything around our son. He quickly learned to say “mama,” “papa,” and “grandpa” clearly.

When we took him to the zoo at around 10 months old, he was fascinated by a monkey. Of course, we named the animal, and after our visit, both we and our family kept repeating that he had seen a monkey.

One day, our son finally said “monkey”—but then he started replacing every word he knew with “monkey.” Suddenly, everything and everyone was “monkey.” This phase lasted for about two months before his vocabulary became more varied again and “monkey” faded into the background. Looking back, we find it absolutely hilarious!

Beforehand, I always heard that the baby phase was the hardest. But one evening, while cooking dinner, my partner and I looked at each other as our son threw a ball at us and said, “The baby phase the hardest? Wait until you experience the toddler phase!”

From the moment our son turned 16 months, we noticed his strong will emerging. Tantrums became a daily occurrence, and we often found him lying on the floor, frustrated.

This was the first time in our parenting journey that we sat down together to discuss setting clear boundaries and rules that we both consistently follow. We believe it’s important for him to have consistency, regardless of which parent he is with. This has worked perfectly for both us and our son.

Even though he still tests our limits throughout the day, once he is asleep, we can look back and laugh together.

My tip for all parents: live and let live. Structure and routine are important, but if they don’t work out one day, that’s okay too. You’re not failing as a parent. Children are incredibly adaptable, and together, you’ll get through it!