The world of parenting is unpredictable territory. We come in knowing only what we experienced growing up with our parents. Most parents would give an arm and a leg to ensure they are raising their children in a positive and uplifting way, but sometimes the things we do with even the best of intentions are backfiring.

1. Not practicing what you preach

If you want your child to live a certain way, you should allow him or her to see you as a model. If you act in a different way than you tell your children, they will begin to question both your authority and what is right and wrong. Be the example you want your children to witness as they learn and grow. Show them how to serve others and how to live life to the fullest; don't teach them how to waste away on the couch. Show your children your best side and they will develop one as well.

2. Buying their love

Giving your children well-deserved prizes and gifts is a great way to keep them motivated in fulfilling their responsibilities, but if you continue to buy them gifts for reasons such as guilt or to win their affection, you are teaching our child to become addicted to a life of materials rather than to a life of compassion. Giving your child everything they want will only teach them that their material things are more valuable than love.

3. We overprotect

We live in an unpredictable and dangerous world. Parents do their best to shield their children from the dangers lurking outside. Although it is your duty as a parent to protect your child, no growth ever came from comfort. Valuable lessons are learned from taking risks, such as emotional maturity when facing troublesome circumstances in adulthood. Allow your daughter to dumped by her first boyfriend, and let your son scrape his knee. These moments of failure allow room for growth.

4. We rescue too quickly

When our children are seemingly being picked on or threatened, our so-called "mama bear" mode immediately turns on. Being quick to retaliate in favor of your children does not allow them to learn how to problem-solve on their own. We often forget that our children will become adults one day, and will definitely need to know how to escape from sticky situations on their own.

5. Hiding your flaws

Your children will face hardships and make many mistakes as they age. You should never portray that you are perfect. Don't hide your past bad decisions or the times in your life that you aren't proud of. Allow your child to ask questions about the difficult times in your past and elaborate on how you moved forward from them. Not only will that knowledge guide them through their own troublesome moments, but it will teach them to make better decisions as they get older.

6. You are overbearing

Of course, as parents, we like to know where our child is every second of every day. But as time goes on our children begin to drift away from home more often than before. Of course, we like to check in with them every second of the day, but sometimes our overbearing habits can start to drive our children away. However, there is something you can do about this dilemma. WebSafety is an app that allows you to track your child's location via GPS through their smartphones. This app can allow you to feel at ease when you cannot constantly supervise your child 24/7. Visit WebSafety to download it on your mobile device.