Seven things you must teach your child

Pooja S Banerjee

Nurturing a child is undoubtedly the most difficult job in the world. You need to have a lot of faith, belief, kindness, patience and values to raise a good human being. In today’s generation, there are a few things you must teach your child.

Looks don’t matter, appearances do!
In today’s world, the media has been constantly painting a picture where fair color, beautiful skin and a curvy figure will take you places. Teach your child that it is so not true. It does not matter how you look, but it will matter how you appear and behave. A pleasing personality, an engaging smile and a kind heart are few of the things that will work wonders for you. Teach your child to be charming and a good person, instead of being a good looking person.

Never say NEVER

From the very beginning, instil in your child an attitude to never give up. Enliven in your children a spirit that never dies. Life with no problems is not a life. Teach them to push themselves harder and emerge stronger in the face of adversity.
Teach your child that every hardship and struggle is an opportunity to improve their lives.

Cooking and household work is not a girl’s domain

Your daughter should know that she has to cook because she likes it and not because it’s her eventual fate. Tell her to cook so that she can manage easily when away from family and not because that’s what is expected of her. Teach your sons to cook if they love doing it and to be of use in home instead of bossing around. Teach your children that looking after home is a joint responsibility of every family member and has got nothing to do with a specific gender.

Learning arts gives a new perspective

Encourage your kid to pursue an art. They may paint, write, dance, play an instrument, sing, cook, stitch, or simply develop an innate hunger for reading, but they should learn something. Pursuing a hobby or honing an already existing talent gives meaning to life, an outlet for them to vent out emotions and a new perspective to life. Learning arts develops and enhances cognitive abilities, builds confidence and improves overall interpersonal and social skills.

Say thank you and sorry

Teach your child to be grateful for everything that is being done for him. Teach your child to accept everything as a gift including life. Teach your little girl or little boy to frequently use thank you. Those who say thank you a lot have a lively, liberal and giving spirit. Teach children to accept their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. It takes a lot of courage to admit and rectify mistakes. Teach them to be courageous and loving.

Love is not just an emotion

Teach your sons and daughters that the most important possession in life is love. The love of your parents, siblings, friends, families, soulmates and life partners is a precious thing. Love needs care, it has to be nurtured and has to be taken care of like a child. There is no type of love which can be taken for granted. Teach them to love 'love' and handle it with extreme care.

Life is the mother of all balancing games

Teach them to know how to balance life. As kids they have to balance studies, extracurriculars, fun activities and friends. As adults they have to balance work, family, emotions and self. Teach them to master this balancing act early on in their life. Make them learn time management; taking risks; develop skills; become adept at interpersonal, social skills; take care of self; be honest and disciplined; follow routines and sleep on time at night.

Make your children self-reliant, help them in developing life skills, and make them strong to face all battles of life happily with courage, convictions and faith. Above all teach them to believe in you; now and always.