It is easy to be a good parent when you are in the public eye. When you know that people watch and scrutinize your every move, you tend to be on your best behavior. 

But, what about when you are alone, tired, or frustrated? Amanda and I have found these three things to help us be better parents.

The First P is Perspective.

Do not lose your perspective. In order to keep your perspective in place, remember the 10 year rule. In 10 years will you remember when your child spilled milk on the floor? Probably not, but, in 10 years the way you acted and reacted will have lasting effects on your child. When something happens think to yourself, “What will really matter in 10 years?”

The Second P is Patience.

Before I had children, if anyone would have asked me if I had patience, I would have said with a resounding “Yes, of course I do, I have mountains and mountains of patience!” Now that we have a little one in our life, I realized that maybe patience is not my strong suit. It is easy to tell someone to have patience but how do you actually do it? The reason I thought I had a lot of patience before we had children was that no one stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. When I wanted to watch TV, I could watch TV. If I wanted to eat quickly, I could eat quickly. If I wanted to sleep in, I could sleep in. It was easy because I was never stopped from doing what I wanted to do, which gave me the illusion that I was a patient person. Now that we have a little one, my plans are constantly disrupted, causing impatience to flare up. The best way to develop patience is to have empathy for your child. Remember, they are trying the best that they can. It might not be up to our standards (or our timetable) but they are trying. Remember, they are like little aliens learning and discovering their new world. That is a lot to handle, and they are trying to best that they can.

The Third P is Play.

Children learn through play! Let children be children and let them play. They are only young for so long. Turn off the screens. Play with your children, let them play alone, schedule times to play with friends, anything! While we love playing at Disneyland, it does not always have to be something big like going to Disneyland. Sitting on the porch watching them ride their bike while eating a popsicle is a perfect play date. Board games are a fantastic way to interact with your children. Throwing a ball, frisbee, or water balloons can be incredibly fun with kids. Playing dress ups, playing with dolls, doing science experiments, or any other activity your child loves can foster confidence and creativity, and can create fun learning experiences for your child.

In January 2018 Chris and Amanda Provost launched Provost Park Pass as a way to give fans of Disney access to the tips, secrets and inside scoop of the happiest place on earth. It didn’t take long for Disney fans to fall in love with the Provosts and their entertaining videos. In less than six months, the Provosts surpassed 10,000 subscribers and received the 2018 Next Big Creator Award from CVX Live. To date the Provosts have more than 98,000 subscribers.

With over 13 million views, Chris and Amanda have worked extensively with Disney and have established a relationship that enables them to get special access to some park features including rides, new attractions and special historical tours from Disney executives and employees. Chris has worked in Television and film and is currently the MC to FanX Utah’s largest convention. Amanda loves being a mom and produces the Provost Park Pass Podcast that was recently #1 in Canada #7 in the United States.