Good Parenting Tips

It is said Life is what happens when you are waiting for your plans to come through. Right from the moment we are born, our parents start making plans for us, deciding on the school, dreaming about how our life is going to be different and better than theirs. After all,  isn’t this what every parent wants – a better life for their children. We all want to protect our children from the evils lurking in the dark, from pain that we have been through.



So how do you make your kid ready for this journey called “life”? I believe kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. I have seen parents bending backwards to fulfill their kids demands, driving around from one class to another , paying through their nose to get them into private schools and much worse, plan their life . There is nothing wrong with doing this – after all we are parents, but honestly in the long run does it all matter?



Raising two boys of my own, I do tend to get worried about their making wrong choices, of succeeding in school and so on and forth. But one thing I have realized is that all things are in our control. Here are some of the things which I do believe that we can do to get our kids ready for “life”.



Making  them independent:. This is the only job we need to worry about. Being independent financially and emotionally should be the goal of every parent. We can do this by entrusting them with responsibilities. Depending on the age and the how mature they are, trust them with responsibilities – starting from taking out garbage or making their own bed.



Listening: The first step in communication is listening. Generally parents talk and fail to listen. Kids are very upfront, but given a chance can also be prone to lying. Listen to what they say and what they don’t say.



Encourage Critical Thinking: There was this wonderful book I had read long ago in which the author tells about encouraging the kids to make decisions. Kids need not be a copy of us, let them develop their own thoughts and views, let them Think.



Guide them: You are their guide, help them define what is right and what is wrong. We need kids who grow up to have strong ethical values. I have very strong feelings about this issue and feel that this is something every parent needs to instill in their child. Life has many grey areas and at times it’s not easy to choose the right path.



Give them Space : Sometimes, in our urge to protect kids, we tend to smother them with our love. Kids need space, they need time – free time where nothing is planned for them.



Respect: This is especially true with teens. If you have raised your child up well with good values, you shouldn’t have a problem in this regard. Give respect; take respect .works well even with kids. Kids need to know how to respect themselves; and parents are the first adults who can teach them how to do so.



Humor: Teach them to deal with adverse conditions lightly. Life can get very overwhelming for kids just going out in the world, facing disappointments and disillusions, but one trait that can help them deal with it is humor. Teach your kids that this is a journey and laughter makes this journey fun.



There are other things too that we can do in this journey where they discover themselves and get them prepared for dealing with the uncertainties of life.