Every parent wants to raise well-rounded and confident children. Here are tips to get you headed in the right direction.
Praise, Praise!
Praise is a wonderful tool in the process of child rearing. Children react to praise in a positive way. No one likes to be criticized, be it an adult or a child. Parents very often mistakenly believe that they are criticizing their children so that the children can correct themselves. In reality this does not happen. The offender often tries to defend the action. The trick is to catch them doing something right and then praise them for it. Praise is the greatest motivator and like faith it can move mountains. The way to develop the best in a person is by appreciation and encouragement, right?
Pray
Every religion stresses the importance of prayer as a part of daily life. When we begin the day with prayer, we feel peaceful and strong. Usually when we pray, the words come from our hearts. All holy books emphasize love. It is said that the family that prays together stays together.
Patience
The synonym of parenting is patience. One needs loads and loads of patience with children. Be it potty training or getting the homework done, a calm and peaceful approach is necessary. One has to work each day at developing patience with their children. Although hitting and yelling may work in the short term, it is through a patient and tactful approach that the lessons stay with the children for a lifetime. Allow children to experiment in their own way but within a logical framework. As Khalil Gibran said, "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts."
Persist
Hoary maxims like "try, try till you succeed" are not empty words. Right from an early age children should be encouraged and motivated to stay with a project and to give it their best shot. Even though sometimes quitting may be an easier option, it should never be resorted to. After all, winners never quit and quitters never win. The story of the "hare and the tortoise" is well known. The moral of the story, not stopping before a job is finished, is a lesson for life itself.
Positive attitude
It is said that the difference between happiness and unhappiness lies in having the right mental attitude. Teach your children by your example to look at a glass as half full and not as half empty. Let them learn to look at the roses and not at the thorns. Nothing influences a child more than the example of an adult whose behaviour exemplifies positive values. The secret of success, as this poem says, is an "I can" attitude.
"Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can."
Read More:
Parenting Mantras - II
