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Do
you have a jack-of-all-trades
in
your home?
Teach your child to master the
art of perfection and perseverance.
It is natural for a child to show
multiple interests and passions in the early years. Your daughter might
want to join a karate class because her neighbour does so. She might leave
it halfway due to a sudden interest in Kuchipudi dance. One fine day she
may just walk out of the dance class and plan an exploratory holiday to
Kulumanali. While these shifts in interests should be tolerated in the
initial years, children should be also told to pursue certain passions
for a logical period. They have to be taught to excel in whatever they
do, be it dance, music, karate or trekking. Here are tips for parents about
the ways for inculcating perseverance in children.
- Concentrate on quality
Try to streamline
your child's passions. It does not mean that you discourage or demoralize
your child. Multiple interests are always welcome, as they give fine exposure
to the child. However, let the child not learn to keep things unfinished.
For example, if your son has left his gymnasium course unfinished, you
have every reason not to give him money for any other class in the near
future. Ask him to view his interests seriously.
- Help them find their
interests
Teach your child to
tap his or her personal interests. Sometimes children pursue certain interests
due to many extraneous reasons like peer pressure, fashion, momentary whims.
They are too young to distinguish between their own feelings. Therefore,
parents have to help them take certain decisions. As psychology claims
that a child is bound to excel in a field only and only if he or she is
interested.
- No substitute to
hard work
Be it a hobby or a
passion or a liking, your child must be mentally and physically prepared
to rough out the hard labour involved in it. Parents have to teach the
child to remain consistent while following a curriculum/course/assignment/hobby.
For instance, your son might enjoy trekking and mountaineering. But you
have to ask him whether he is ready to get up early in the morning and
start out for an ambitious expedition.
- Do not complete a
project for your child
If your child fails to achieve a target or finish an assignment, never
do it yourself. In this manner, the child will never learn to accomplish
the task on time. Meeting deadlines is an important aspect of a growing
child's life.
- Give your child proper
incentives
This does not mean gifts, bribes or money. Incentives mean proper motivation.
For instance, motivate your daughter by telling her how good she will look
on stage during her dance performance or how wonderful her bedroom will
look after she completes the wall hanging that she is working on.
- Consistency is a
virtue in any field
Children associate
perfection and mastery only with difficult tasks like mountaineering or
karate or carpentry. But perfection is needed in anything that one does
at any point of time. Even a simple cross-stitch embroidery needs wholehearted
concentration and interest. It is no less a task than archery, swimming
or architecture.
- Be patient
Do not be too pushy
or critical, as this will damage the child's self-image. Perfection and
perseverance do not come easily even to adults. Therefore do not expect
your child to be consistent at a very early age. He or she is bound to
leave some tasks incomplete. But as you groom the child, perseverance will
become second nature to the child. It will become a way of life.
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