Tragedies in our personal life can affect us profoundly, and if we haven't taught our children how to cope when the chips are down, they are headed for trouble.
Parents rarely picture their children falling victim to depression in the future, but it is possible, and so, teach your child how to deal with it. One of the best ways he can get through almost anything is with the support of others.
Invest In Relationships
It is important to teach our children to cope with adversities in life. Perhaps your child will grow up to be extremely good looking, or perhaps he won't. He may be too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, too dark, have a lot of pimples, bad hair, all of which can be upsetting… He may get all the happiness in the world, or he may have to face some unforeseen tragedies. Life can get overwhelming, and one of the most important things that helps us get through is family support. If you have your family around you, chances are that you will weather any storm and come out fine. Teach your child the importance of family support. Teach him to always be supportive of his siblings. He should also be able to separate those friends, cousins, aunts and uncles who will be by his side in times of adversity, and those who won't - and teach him to feed the relationships accordingly. If he spends all his time with those people who he has the most fun with, and little or no time with more true friends, then he will stand to lose a lot more when the chips are down. He will find that when he really needs someone by his side, no one is around. Investing time in relationships is as important as anything else, so let him not grow up to be someone who has all the time for work, and no time for family.
Share Sorrows
Teach your children not to hold anything within. If they are unhappy, they should be able to talk about their unhappiness. Some people can never discuss their unhappiness with others, with the result that the sadness within just keeps growing and growing, until it is unbearable. If you want your child to be a happier person, teach him the importance of discussing his joy, and his sorrows with friends or family.
Grow More Tolerant
Every succeeding generation seems to grow less and less tolerant of each other. Perhaps it is best to start instilling the values of tolerance at a younger age. As parents, all of us want to teach our children everything they possibly need to ensure material success. But what if things in their personal life don't work out? What if they fall prey to a failed marriage? Almost all Indian parents tell their daughters that they will need to work hard and adjust to keep a relationship going, but not many teach the same to their sons. Parents, teach your sons too that marriage entails adjustment on both fronts. Help them realize that no matter who does the adjusting, if one partner in a marriage is unhappy, both suffer. Give and take is required on both sides.
