Parenting and raising
Some mistakes parents make during bringing up their children!
Parents have their own – unique – way of bringing up
their children. They do their best to raise them, but nobody's perfect. That's
why, when they look back, they all want to fix some of the mistakes they made
in the past. Here are some of the things they regret, so, you can avoid making
the same mistakes.
1.
Scolding
Some parents scolded their children too often.
Reprimanding a child for something they did wrong is totally normal. But
sometimes parents go overboard and it turns into nitpicking. Some parents
believe that the higher their expectations are for their children, the more successful
the kids will be in the future. But it surely doesn't work this way. Scolding a
child for every little mistake can lead to behavioral problems. Punishments for
bad grades are also harmful. They can kill off the desire for learning in any
child. And, of course, being too strict can have another huge downside – a poor
relationship with your child. That's why you should only punish your kids for
things that actually matter. A broken cup shouldn’t be on that list.
Read about Guide to Parental Control App!
2.
Important Moments
They missed out on
the most important moments in their children's lives. Of course, every parent
has a lot of commitments, and juggling all of them is no easy feat. But children desperately need parents to be there for them. Some occasions that
might not seem that important for an adult, really mean a lot for kids. Children
need to have someone close to them at moments like these. Even if you think you
have a good reason to miss your child's school play, do your best to be
present. Find time to visit grandma, go to the theatre, and decorate your house for
the holidays. Because your bond with your children gets stronger by creating
memories together. Otherwise, in the future, you'll feel bad about how many
great moments passed you by.
3.
Creative games
They didn’t play
enough creative games. Of course, simply playing creative games with your kids
won’t necessarily make them great artists or musicians in the future. But, hey,
there’s always a chance. Doing this has a lot of other advantages as well. Any
kind of activity, like drawing or playing with play dough, has a positive effect
on developing their intelligence, and imagination, and increasing their vocabulary.
Also, if your kid is engaged in a lot of different activities, it makes it
easier for you to find out what they have an interest in and what they’re good
at. This is important since they can show promising abilities even at a young
age and develop them later.
4.
Engaging in Opinion
They didn’t take
their child’s opinion into account. “You’re too young to decide”, “Adults know
better” “You are nothing” “You can’t do” and “You are not capable” are probably
phrases you heard quite often when you were a kid. It was irritating, right? But
this kind of attitude from parents can have a serious impact on a kid’s future.
Such behavior kills a child's ability and the power of decision. If children feel
like their opinion is often neglected, they may grow up to be insecure. And
it’s logical if you think about it. How can you know what you want from life or
set your own goals to achieve if there was always someone who made decisions
for you? Of course, as a parent, you can’t go along with your kid’s every wish
or desire. I mean, your kid really can’t bring home every stray dog they meet.
That’s your wife’s job. Really! But instead of simply refusing, explain to the
child why it’s a bad idea. In some other cases, you can discuss their opinion
and meet them halfway.
5.
Communicating
They didn’t enjoy communicating with their child. Communication
between parents and kids is probably the most important thing in upbringing.
So, if you don’t put aside enough time for it, one day you’ll wake up and
realize that your child has grown up already and is living their own
life. Of course, it’s totally okay to do things around the house when
your kid is playing alone. But try not to turn it into a habit. Because
children need not only their physical presence but emotional involvement
as well, to feel they are loved and cared about. There is no turning time back,
so let yourself enjoy the moments you spend together.
6.
Worth of Money
They didn’t
educate them about money. For some reason, some parents avoid the topic of
money with their kids. Of course, these children don’t believe that money grows
on a tree, but they might think it just magically appears in the ATM. Without
education on personal finance and responsible spending, children don’t
understand the real worth of money. And when they grow up, they find it hard to
manage their own income. Giving your kid some pocket money will teach them how
to save up and spend wisely. Besides, you can let your teen earn their own
money. They can mow the lawn of a neighbor or babysit. Every time you go
shopping together, tell your kids how much money they can spend this time to
limit their wishes. All these tips will provide your children with
opportunities to learn about things like budgeting, saving, and being more
responsible.
7.
Memories
They didn’t make their child happy enough. Good memories
from our childhood are a real treasure for most of us. We like to go back in
our mind to that time when we were carefree, and quite often every day was
filled with doing something for the first time. Every child should have a lot
of new experiences and live in a healthy atmosphere. That’s what makes them
happy. And when kids are happy, they develop more actively, which means they’ll
find it easier to adapt to adult life and start new relationships in the
future. So, go to an amusement park, ride ponies, and sail a boat with your
kid. Try to do something exciting at least once a day together to make sure
your child has as many happy moments in their life as possible.
8.
Hugging Their Children
They didn’t hug their children often enough. Hugs are not
only a perfect way to show affection but are also scientifically proven to be good
for our health because they help protect against stress. Besides, it’s simply
nice to hug your own child. Unfortunately, sometimes parents don’t do it as
often as they should. Some of them think that being too affectionate with a
child can make them less obedient. Others – especially if we talk about babies
– believe that holding and hugging a baby all the time means that they’ll
demand it too much in the future. But the truth is, the older a child gets, the
less they want to be hugged. So, enjoy the hugs with your kids while you can.
9.
Consistency
They weren’t consistent. Consistency might just be one of
the biggest challenges in upbringing. For example, you usually don’t let your
kids eat unhealthy food. But suddenly you get too caught up with work and give
them pizza for lunch. Next thing you know they’re demanding it for every meal.
It may feel next-to-impossible to maintain the exact same standards for your
children daily, but not trying to do so often leads to major regrets for
parents. Kids get confused about what’s allowed and what’s not. Without clear
boundaries, they probably won’t behave the way you want them to, and obedience
issues become inevitable. Also, don’t forget that you should follow your own
rules to set an example. No phone during family dinner means no phone for
everyone.
10.
Following other advice
They often followed someone else’s advice. There are
people who just can’t help but give advice, even if nobody asks for it. And
sometimes young, inexperienced parents feel like it’s better to listen to them.
Such “experts” have tons of information about the way you should feed, dress,
and raise your children. Of course, some of it may be useful and sensible, but
never forget that YOU are the parent, so it’s up to you to decide what’s best
for your kids. Also, don’t let strangers scold your child for misbehaving. A
child needs to feel there’s always someone who will support and protect them.
So, let them know they can always count on you.
What’s your favorite childhood memory? Let us know down
in the comments!