Parents First

Previously I spoke about the daily marathon that mom's face when it comes to caring for our children. Next I am going to talk about just what it means to be a parent. The focus is not only on the moms but parents on a whole. We all agree that moms tend to take on the lion share of child rearing even when there is a partner/spouse who is giving 100% support. Let's chalk this up to our innate nurturing ability.


I want to start with the parents first because we are role models for our children. Society has crowned the celebrities and sports heroes as role models but it is the duty of parents to be the original role models for their children. As the primary care givers it is our duty to provide guidance and a nurturing environment in which our children can thrive.


Children live what they learn, whether it is by observation or direct teaching. They have the ability to hear beyond what is being said; to see beyond the obvious, and this is what they react to. That being the case, we as parents need to examine ourselves to determine the impact that we are making on our children. We should be willing to take an indept look at our inner selves and see what improvements we need to make to enhance our selves which will inturn benefit our children.


As parents, our major challenge is to teach our children without them knowing that they are being taught. Ninety-nine percent of our child rearing is done by the seat of our pants. Lets take the time to be more deliberate about our approach to child rearing. Take time to think and execute a plan of action that in the long term will provide the maximum benefit for our children. I want us to see beyond the obvious such as providing a good school, extracurrical activities etc. Let us focus on providing the intangible for our children so that they can possess the life tools/skills to have a rewarding life.


When it comes to child rearing the aim should not be to create ''perfect little children". Our goal should be to help them build a strong bridge to carry them through the different phases of life from infancy to adulthood. To plant seeds that will help them become responsible citizens who posses powerful life skills. This includes -:

• Solid decision making skills
• Develop clarity of thought
• Practice analytical skills
• Ability to make sound judgements
• To learn conflict resolution
• Social awareness
• Civic duty
• Compassion for fellowmen
• Self esteem
• Self control /boundraries
  

Overall children need "roots to make them strong and wings so that that they can fly."

In my next post I will be going more indept on examining our selves as parents. The parenting of our children will be most effective after we have first examined ourslves and make the necessary changes in our lives