There is no known template for raising a balanced child; every parent has their own style of doing it that mainly depends on the child’s personality. You could do everything right, and they still end up turning out the exact opposite of what you intended and vice versa. So how exactly do you ensure that the child you are raising turns out into a well-balanced adult in the future? The following are some of the simple tips that you can try.
Encourage Positive Talk
Right from the moment a baby can utter their first words, make it a habit to always talk to them in a gentle way, and no matter what it is, they are babbling about, patiently listen. This builds a high level of self-respect as they will grow up getting used to being listened to by grown-ups. This helps them to gain confidence in themselves rather than grow up into introverts who prefer to keep everything inside. The freedom that this accords them makes it even easier for them to deal with other people in the future. This article from one of the best baby blogs around will help you learn how to deal with children as they grow up. Make sure you find time to go through it.
Take Part in Activities
Nothing excites a child more than the prospect of taking part in activities with their parents. It makes them feel useful, and in the process, they end up taking everything they see to heart, which helps impart life-changing skills that will later come in handy once they approach adulthood. The act of involving them in decision making allows them to experience the freedom and power that comes with having a say in important matters. One of the best activities you can partake in with your children is redesigning your home. Allow them to have an input on where furniture needs to go and the colour that should be used on the walls in their rooms.
There are sites like guyabouthome that have a lot of home decoration ideas that you can borrow and incorporate into your redesigning plans along with your children. It is the small things like these that really leave an impact on a child.
Imparting Basic Skills in Them
There’s more to life than attending school and graduating at the end of it, and as that degree will come in handy for them in their job search endeavours in the future, learning basic skills is equally vital. So what are these skills? Cooking, handling their own laundry, and a host of other chores around the house will make them self-reliant. This is the kind of foundation you want your child to grow up with so that they can be able to deal with any situation that may be handed to them in the future.
Take the current COVID-19 pandemic; for instance, knowing how to wash hands properly is the difference between life, and it is something that many children are ill-equipped to handle as they were never taught. In a situation like this, you’d be best served going through sites like becleanse.com to learn more about proper sanitization methods that you can pass on to your children to give them a better chance of surviving the pandemic.
Explain Punishment
There will be times where you’ll have to put your foot down and take some drastic measures if they cross certain lines. But in the process of enforcing authority, don’t lose track of the reason why you are doing it. The aim of each punishment meted out on a child should be well articulated beforehand so that they can learn early enough to connect actions and consequences. Punishing a child who doesn’t understand why they are being punished will not teach them anything, and that could lead to them repeating the same thing or changing for the worse as a way of self-defence. Every form of punishment should be explained in clear and easy to understand terms.
Reward Good Efforts
In tandem with punishment, apply the same energy is rewarding them for putting in effort in class, sports, or generally improving themselves in both behaviour and demeanour. Children are very perceptive, and they tend to pick on unfairness. When it comes to rewards, don’t simply limit it to achievements; make it a habit to reward the effort behind the attempt. It should never be about winning alone because coming on top of everything is not something that anyone gets to achieve in life. Once they feel their efforts are appreciated, they will strive to aim for the top next time around.
Support Their Interests
Support your child’s interests. At no point should you ever shut down a kid when they show some interest in something? No matter how unrealistic it may be, it is good to let them experience it first, and once they realise it is beyond them, they will casually drop it. This kind of freedom allows them the space to experiment in as many things as they want, and eventually, something they are passionate about and good at will show up. Once that happens, start guiding them to maximise their potential.
Conclusion
Raising children is not an easy job, and there’s no perfect parent. Mistakes are bound to happen along the way. The most important thing is always to be ready to admit when you, as a parent, are wrong. Children get angry too, and when they are apologised to, they feel respected and appreciated. As previously mentioned, there’s no winning formula for parenting. You simply have to make judgments and adjustments as things unfold.
