Seeing your child grow up to be a success is
the ultimate goal of a great parent. But raising your child in a way that
ensures they achieve that success is certainly not easy. It requires patience,
perseverance, dedication, and the confidence that all of your efforts will be
incredibly worth it when you finally see your children actualize their
potential. If you want your children to succeed, you need to:
1. Teach them social skills
Although humans are naturally social beings,
social conventions are not inherent and therefore must be taught.
A study
conducted by by researchers at PSU and Duke University showed
that children who showed the ability to cooperate with and help their peers, as
well as understand their emotions and work out their own problems, were more
likely to experience success as they grew into adults than children who did not
exhibit these social skills. Children who were not taught skills such as
cooperation and patience were also more likely to end up incarcerated or
abusing drugs and alcohol.
2. Have high expectations
Children will rise to their parents’ level of
expectations, so it’s important to set the bar high. A study by a UCLA professor of over 6,000 kindergartners showed that when parents
believe their children will end up attending college, the children perform much
higher on standardized tests than children whose parents are indifferent to
higher education. An overwhelming 96% of children whose parents saw college in
their future performed higher than the rest of the cohort.
3. Attain higher levels of
education
Not only should parents
have high expectations for their children, but they should also have high
expectations for themselves. A study conducted at the University of Michigan found
that children are most likely to attain the same level of education their
parents have over the course of their lifetime. Unfortunately, this means that
those who become pregnant as a teenager and do not pursue a college education,
or do not complete their high school studies, are likely to raise children who
end up dropping out as well. Parents who set the bar high for themselves will
in turn have great expectations for their children as well.
4. Build a solid
relationship with them
All of the previous points
made throughout this article can only come about if parents foster a caring,
nurturing relationship with their children. Doing so lays the foundation on
which a successful life can be built. By building a solid relationship with
their children, parents can begin teaching them the social and life skills
needed to succeed. They can also maximize their children’s potential by setting
high expectations early on to ensure their children get a head start in life.
Finally, by being there to celebrate their children’s accomplishments, parents
can instill in their children the notion that the reward for hard work is the
successful feeling that comes over you after having reached a specific goal.
5. Be less stressed out
Parents who are constantly
stressed, whether from work, school, or family life, will ultimately pass this
stress along to their child. A decent amount of stress can be a healthy
motivator, but too much stress can be incredibly detrimental to your health.
“Helicopter parents” are those who are so stressed out about their children’s
lives that they become much too overprotective; by doing so, they add stress to
their children’s lives with every step they take. As a parent, you’ll
undoubtedly face many stressful situations in your life. However, you must
never allow your child to know just how close you are to your breaking point.
6. Value effort over innate
talent
Pointing out your child’s
gifts is natural for parents. Knowing your kid is an incredible musician or
athlete should definitely make you proud. However, praising your child for a
gift they were born with may actually be doing them a disservice. They may
start to develop a fixed mindset, meaning they either believe they’re naturally
good at something or not good at all. On the other hand, praising a child’s
effort when completing a specific task will nurture a growth mindset: the idea
that they can become good at anything they put their all into. By cultivating a
growth mindset in your children, you change their way of thinking from “I can’t
do this!” to “I can’t do this…yet!”
By: Matt Duczeminski
Image: www.nairaland.com
No comments:
Post a Comment