By: Natasha Archary
Children absorb a significant part of their world through their parents. While perfect people, or perfect parents, don’t exist, do you sometimes wish that your children only picked up the good parts of you?
Or have you accepted that they may pick up all your nuances, habits and traits, including the ones that you don’t like?
After coming across a video clip on social media regarding parenting, Kgomotso Meso raised the question, “Would you be okay if your child grew up to be the adult version of you?”
The Drive 959 team felt the conversation might be pertinent to guide parents with their parenting styles and make sure that they stop to consider whether the life lessons we’re instilling in our little ones are developing their emotional intelligence
Parents tend to focus on correcting misbehaviour. Tantrums? Timeout. Endless crying? Stop it. Sssssh. Flinging objects? No, no, no.
There’s more to being a present parent than adjusting inappropriate behaviour patterns. Of course, the careful discipline of your child is an important part of your responsibility.
Most parents focus solely on a child’s academic capabilities. Straight A’s don’t guarantee your child is ready to tackle the scary reality of life itself.
Textbook smarts and emotional intellect are two sides of the same coin, if you want to raise a well-adjusted young person. With so much going on in the world and with social media responsible for grooming desensitized individuals, where is the heart in our parenting?
Validate those little people with huge emotions
Regardless of how old your child is, does not mean that their feelings are not a big deal. The foundation age is a crucial time to set in stone your relationship dynamics and how you communicate going forward.
Early childhood is when kids absorb everything like sponges. Children learn through example not stern lecturing and this is key. They learn how to react to stressful situations from you.
What’s important is that you pay attention to the physical, verbal and expressive cues.
Yes, your child can, just as easily as you, have a bad day. They could have spent the day in sombre solitude because they didn’t finish a task when the rest of the class did. His favourite snack may have fallen into the sandpit during break and he is just not in the mood to engage with you.
Your always talkative pre-teen spends the drive home in absolute silence, sulking. Instead of taking the typical authoritative approach as parents often do, validate those emotions.
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959:
How has being raised in a strict household showed up in your adult life?
Also read: Two-pot: How to achieve better retirement outcomes
