Positive Parenting

Know your child:

Don’t try to make your children more intelligent, assertive, graceful and accomplished than they are naturally inclined to be. Try to find out and encourage their real talents and temperament.

The key to your child becoming a success is to observe and encourage his real talents. Educationists realize today mere schooling and learning the so called three ‘R’s, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic does not nurture the entire potential of your child. While traditional learning is important, the goal of education should be to create competent, confident and considerate citizens. A remarkable performance in school does not necessarily guarantee success in life. Some parents put so much emphasis on school education and academic education, that they do not allow their wards to do anything else. Parents do not realize that mere good grades aren’t everything. There are some parents who do not allow their wards to do anything else. Parents do not realize that mere good grades aren’t everything. There are some parents who do not allow their children to play football or join the school band for fear that they may lag behind in studies. But teachers with years of experience in teaching point out that many outside or extra-curricular activities as they are called, help instill the very characteristics that are needed to excel in the class room and in life. Sports, social work and various cultural activities like singing, dancing, music, drama, debates, painting build character and develop important academic skills such as problem solving, language improvement, concentration, focusing and social skills like leadership, friendship that have a bearing both in the classroom and in the outside world. Children who partake in these activities become more self- reliant, self-confident and emotionally well adjusted. As a result, their academic performance improves instead of suffering.

It is rather surprising that children who are good in mathematics or playing chess are considered as ‘intelligent’ while those who are good in music or painting are considered as merely ‘talented’. Due to this misconception, a child’s inability to sing is considered as a ‘disability’ while a child’s inability to write is considered as merely a lack of talent. Discover your child’s particular talent or talents by close and deliberate observation and experimentation and nurture it and you would find that it would be a very enriching experience for both your child and you.