Happy New Year to all parents out there. Welcome to yet another year that would no doubt present us with wonderful opportunities as well as let-downs on our parental bus ride.
Parenting is a gradual and continuous process. We could either fall into the category of being; full time home keepers with our kids around us every second of the day; full/ part time employees, working for others whilst private nannies care for the kids or business owners with professional carers or childcare settings, caring for our children. Wherever we fit in the above classifications, we still find that our fundamental roles as parents remain the same and it is our job to enhance and nurture our children the best way we can despite how busy we find ourselves
As we journey into the New Year, let us focus on our children’s continuous development and progress in every aspect of their lives just as much as we focus on our Social, emotional, physical and mental well-being.
That’s a lot to consider, I hear you say?
Well, I recommend that the First note to ourselves this year, should be more of a question; what is my child really all about? /What plans do I have to start bringing out the best in my child? / What value do I add, and what conscious effort will I make to adhere to my plans for my child/children?
Discover what your child loves/enjoys doing.
This should be a fairly easy task, especially if you are observant and spend quality time with your child. You can discover what your child loves doing whilst in the park; how fast they run, how hard they throw balls or how well they maintain their balance on a climbing frame; look out for specific toys, activities or TV programmes that they are interested in and their display of passion towards those activities.
All these usually give you an idea of activities that will enhance your child’s natural abilities.
Identify Strengths and weaknesses.
There’s nothing as frustrating as walking in shoes that don’t fit. We are all aware of the fact that no one is perfect; not kids and certainly not adults. This means that there would be certain things your child would be good at and some things they would struggle with. Often times this is due to the fact that children develop at different paces. It is best to enhance and encourage the strengths you observe in your child and accept the weaknesses. Some weaknesses however, just need a little effort to get better at it.
Weakness and strength can be easily observed and identified whilst a child is with peers or siblings, during verbal conversations/ disputes, role playing or physical activities.
Avoid overloading
Do you find yourself doing too many things at the same time just to keep your child busy? Or you feel your child is missing out because another child appears to be good at football, swimming, gymnastics, ballet, hockey whilst being privately tutored?
Avoid the overload!
Decide on what your child truly enjoys doing, by discussing this with your child. Use your time effectively and avoid burning yourself and your child out. We must consider the fact that kids need down-time as much as adults do.
When a child is happy and senses that the parent is focusing on their strengths and what they enjoy, they inevitably develop confidence and a sense of purpose and achievement.
Become fertile ground
Ideally, parents should be the equivalent of a fertile ground. You are cultivated to produce good results. Children look up to their parents to bring out the best in them. To produce these results in your child, every parent must be ready to take certain steps to realize the natural gem hidden within each child to succeed in life; pick up the phone, make inquiries, ask for help, enroll for taster/trial sessions.
It appears a new trend of young adults (younger generation) are now turning to social media, technology, fashion, dance, media, sports, etc. as a means of earning a living. They appear to be relying on their passion and things that come second nature to them, rather than conforming to what the society expects them to achieve or become in the near future.
Would you raise a child who feels stuck in the rot because a parent was unable to discover and enhance their natural ability or would you rather plant your child in a garden where they can grow and blossom, come rain or shine?
