Gone are the days when kids used be taken care of any of the family members of a joint family and parents particularly moms were busy cooking for the whole house and other chores. But in today’s times when families have gone nuclear and parents, mostly both of them working, are very much concerned about every need of their child. They do seem to be focused in getting them everything that is needed more so because of the lack of time they have to spend with their kids. But, one thing that has not completely wiped out of still from our society is that academics is still the most important part of a child’s life. If the child fails there then there is pressure of performance. This obsession is apparently a legacy that has been carried forwards since the beginning of time of education. The winds of change are blowing but still we have to see a complete change in the mindset.
Speak to many school heads and many of them will bring this issue to light. Rather than concentrating merely on academics, parents need to understand that every child is unique and is blessed with a unique capability. As the saying goes ‘never judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree’, parents need to understand and explore the hidden talent of the child and try to nurture and foster the same rather than pressuring the child over academic performance. Parenting is a roller coaster ride with its highs and lows and bonding with children, working together with the teachers at school and parent can certainly help.
What kid really need to sustain in this world where Newton’s law ‘Survival of the fittest’ still holds true is a support that someone is always with them in their journey and who else than a parent can fill this space. Here are few tips on how you can foster your child to become independent through life skills.
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Teach them to Respect people – To earn respect, you need to give respect and this needs to be instilled into the child early on. Etiquettes helps groom a child’s mentality and the way to do it is to do it yourself.
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Encourage Extra-curricular activities – A holistic approach and an open mind can work wonders for the child, so beyond academics join them with extra curricular activities like sports, music or anything else that interests them.
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Put them in Situations and observe then respond – Put them into situations without helping them. Try to observe how they respond to situations. This will help them make decisions, boost their self esteem
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Relax and Have fun – Don’t take everything seriously. Children do make mistakes and will keep making them as they are learning every moment. So, just try to ignore silly mistakes and give them freedom to do mistakes by assuring them that we all make mistakes when we try. It’s okay to make mistakes some times as long as you learn from them and avoid repeating them.
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Follow a hobby - Hobbies always help in unwinding yourself and rejuvenating and starting early always helps.
All this helps them through their journey of life when they grow up, making it easier too.
*Sourced from the Internet
