Wil he be a good parent?

Ask yourself the following questions to help you with this:


His perceptions about children

Watch his reaction when you happen to be in situations where children are.

How does he react to children?
Love or hate or neutral?
Is he comfortable interacting with children?
Is he drawn by children or does he steer clear of them?
Does he enjoy and relish the wonder of seeing the world through a child’s eyes?
Does he spoil and indulge them?
Is he an unbending disciplinarian?
Is he aware of children’s emotional needs and does he accommodate it?
Is he aware of safety issues and responsible?
How does he treat animals and old people?

His parenting history

You need to find out about how he was brought up, what kind of parenting style he identifies with and is comfortable with. Try to weave some of the following questions into your conversations:

Do you have regular contact with your parents?
Are your family and family closeness important to you?
Are your family a priority in your life?
Is he a family man?

You also need to figure out what kind of relationship he has with his father. The quality of his relationship with his father can be a good predictor of what kind of parent he will be. If he comes from a home where his father was present, available and loving, there is a good chance that he will mirror that and also be a good parent.

Does he have happy, healthy memories from his childhood?
Did he have a good relationship with his father?
Does he look up to his father? See him as a role model?
Does he see his father as a responsible person?
Does he see his father as a person of integrity?
What kind of activities did they do together?
Was his father present and available to him?
How did his father discipline him?
How does he feel about his father’s discipline-style?
Does he look forward to being a parent?

Try to figure out what feels natural for him. If he grew up in a happy, healthy home, his own life wil emulate that. If, on the other hand, he grew up in an unhappy home that was filled with conflict, you must take in account that good parenting will not come naturally for him, and that he will need to work very hard at it.

It does not mean that he will not be a good parent – just that he will have to overcome more obstacles, work harder and be more aware of himself and his relationships with others.



To learn more about finding Mr Right, go to:

Is he Mr Right?
Will he commit?
Will he treat me well?
Does he have personality flaws?

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