LOHC #186
Parenting transcends mere stages in life; it represents a profound designation entailing the monumental responsibility of instilling high moral values and shaping the succeeding generation for a prosperous future. In this regard, what do you consider to be the three most pivotal qualities or traits that parents must possess in order to effectively fulfill this vital task?
Parenting is very tasking. In as much as it is fun and exciting, one can’t forget the tasking and stressful aspect of it.
It would be much easier if children came out as robots. That way you could program them to be whatever you want them to be. But it is not so. Children are born as humans and due to this, they have a mind of their own.
The first few years might be less complicating since they’re still young and naive and easily go with almost anything they are told to do.
At the early stage, their minds are not yet developed and they go with whatever vibes you bring. This is the reason why this stage remains the best stage to impact certain values on the child.
At teenage age, things get a little bit more complicated. The hormones starts doing their thing and the teens start being more conscious of themselves and their bodies. At this stage, they feel they are adults and therefore could make decisions for themselves, they want everything to be about them and want everyone and everything to go their way and when it doesn’t, they begin to riot. They start questioning everything and everyone and begin to see themselves in a different light and eventually begin to get more daring and audacious.
This stage is very technical. This is because any slight imbalance on the parent-child relationship can get the relationship severed and once this happens, it becomes difficult to get back on track.
Subjectively, the three vital skills to possess so as to be be able to navigate through parenthood are;
Communication Skills: As a parent you need to know when you are communicating and when you’re blatantly being demanding. Most parents just tell a child what to and not to do forgetting that the child is human and has his choices and feelings as well. Instead of telling a child what to do why not tell the child what you think he should do, listen to the child’s opinion as well, go through it and gently and calmly tell him why your opinion is the best to go with regarding the circumstances. This would make the child feel that his opinion is respected and valid. Do not ignore your child’s opinion, it’d only make him less enthusiastic to open up to you and he might start keeping secrets.
Open mindedness: This is where most parents get it all wrong. They think they got the best training from their parents and do all they can to force those trainings down the throats of their kids, forgetting the world is evolving and most of the way they did things back in their days are becoming obsolete. Parents ought to be open minded and let their children have their ways sometimes. It helps in boosting the kid’s self esteem and helps not only in decision making but also in taking responsibilities for his actions.
Words of affirmation: Studies have shown that children who grew up in a home where they are constantly reminded of how much they are loved and how much they worth feel a lot better than those who were not. Reminding a child how amazing he is and the potentials he’s got makes him feel he can paddle any storm that comes his way and trust me, such feeling beats anything in the world. Telling a child how much you love him would make him realize he’s not alone and he’s got you to be with him in whatever he is going through and trust me, that’s a great energy booster.
Parenting is a difficult task but we can make it worthwhile by impacting values, one child at a time.
I hope you have as much fun reading this piece as I had writing it!