By Pastor Blessed Mugabiri
Children are the leaders of tomorrow. We must take care of them. Many parents focus attention on their children’s grades and extracurricular activities, such as by making sure kids study, do their homework, and get to soccer practice or dance lessons on time.
But all too often, we forget to put time and effort into nurturing another component of child success and development—one that is just as important, and perhaps even more essential—being a good person.
Every child must have the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes and consider their feelings and thoughts, is one of the most fundamental traits in good people.
How do you teach your child this?
As a parent you must encourage your child to talk about his/ her feelings and make sure s/he knows that you care about them.
When a conflict occurs with a friend, ask him/ her to imagine how his/ her friend might be feeling and show him/ her ways of managing emotions and work positively toward a resolution.
Teach your child to help others in their time of trouble. Teach your child to say thank you. For things like gifts for birthdays and holidays, be sure your child gets into the habit of writing thank you cards.
When a child does a good reward him or her. The child must know the negative impact on his or her fellow friends after they bully them or doing a wrong thing to them.
Children must learn to work on their own. A child must be taught to volunteer to do any task. There are children who disappear from home or any place when they realise that there is a task that needs to be performed.
Children must be able to help elderly people or those who are younger than them without being asked. Children must do any work anywhere as long it is not hazardous because death of parents can come anytime and they will be required to take care of themselves.
When children have an expected list of age-appropriate chores to do at home, such as helping set the table or sweeping the floor, they gain a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. Doing a good job and feeling like they are contributing to the good of the household can make kids feel proud of themselves, and help them become happier.
Teach your children to respect anyone. The most effective way to get kids to speak to you and to others in a respectful way and to interact with others in a nice manner is by doing exactly that yourself when you interact with your child.
Think about how you speak to your child. Do you speak harshly when you’re not happy about something? Do you ever yell or say things that are not nice? Consider your own way of speaking, acting, and even thinking, and try to choose a friendly and polite tone and manner with your child, even when you are talking to him/ her about a mistake or misbehavior.
Discipline Your Child Consistently. Children who are not disciplined are unpleasant, selfish, and surprisingly unhappy. Some of the many reasons why we need to discipline include the fact that children who are given clear rules, boundaries, and expectations are responsible, more self-sufficient, are more likely to make good choices and are more likely to make friends and be happy.
As soon as you see behavior problems such as lying or backtalk, handle them with love, understanding, and firmness. Children can be beaten or nicely talked to.
The best method of disciplining your children is to live a responsible life. Consider how you interact with others, even when your child isn’t watching.
Do you steer clear of gossip about neighbors or co-workers? Do you use a friendly tone when addressing waiters?
If you want to raise a good child, conduct yourself in the way you want your child to act.
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