How often have we heard our parents say to us, “you’ll realise this when you become a parent yourself”, making us wonder what is the big deal about parenting after all? Well, it is rightly said that parenting doesn’t come with a foolproof manual and one only learns along the way.
How many times have we told ourselves, “I’ll never let that happen to my child.”, not realising that every parent’s journey is different, and no two unrelated parents share the same experience with their children? Many times, we want the best for our children, but we just don’t understand how to translate our intentions into the best course of action.
This throws parents into a tizzy and we understand why you wouldn’t want to talk about such issues with other parents.
Issues like developing self-esteem, dealing with sibling rivalry, raising children with special needs, and inculcating necessary habits, need to be addressed with more empathy than one thinks.
Here’s a list of tips that can help you navigate through confusing times.
- Children no longer learn from taking strict action against them. Allow them a space to share their insecurities and vulnerabilities, and let them know they’ll not be judged. Listen to their perspective before advising them on how to do better the next time or better deal with a particular situation. This makes for a stronger parent-child bond based on acceptance, no matter what happens.
- Apart from encouraging them to excel in academics, look out for their interests in co-curricular activities. If they show an aptitude early in life, nurture their skill, and allow them to pursue it if they wish. Times have changed, opportunities are ample, and talent when coupled with hard work, takes people places.
- Practice what you preach. Children continue to subconsciously learn from their parents regarding what should be done and what shouldn’t, and hollow advice will fall on deaf ears. Demonstrate emotional intelligence, forgiveness, integrity by examples, and it’ll no longer be a lesson that your child might forget in the future.
