4 high-quality skills that every parent should teach their kid
The 2010’s proved to be the birth of a new, more progressive society, as people collectively began to adopt a more modern way of thinking. As a result of this, it is no surprise that younger parents are moving away from traditional authoritarian approaches. Instead, they are beginning to place a bigger emphasis on using positive re-enforcement to instil high-quality, long-term skills in their children. With this in mind, here are 4 exceptional skills that you should teach your child.
Ensure that your child can empathize & build trusting relationships
Social skills are very unique in the sense that they cannot be traditionally ‘taught’. Instead, children often develop emotional intelligence through mimicking the behaviour of others. As a result of this, it is important to build a trusting relationship with your child, and therefore demonstrate how real connections can be made.
While this may sound relatively easy, it can prove to be a very frustrating, time-consuming process. However, there are some strategies that parents can use. Specifically, you should;
- Listen to your child and empathize with their situation
Empathizing with your child’s situation can teach them to trust their instincts. Additionally, showing empathy will show your child that you respect their situation. This, in turn, can build trust.
- Set healthy boundaries, and enforce rules & consequences
By setting and enforcing healthy boundaries, children can learn to respect their parents. This respect can therefore lead to a feeling of trust; Through the use of rules, children will begin to understand that their parents want the best for them.
- Spend distraction-free time with your kid
Once distractions such as electronics are removed from the equation, the only option is to engage in verbal dialogue. This will therefore help you and your child bond.
Ensure that your child knows who to call during stressful situations
Children often crumble in pressure situations, and therefore lose the ability to think logically. With this in mind, it is crucial that your child knows who they can depend on in stressful situations.
000 is a number that every Australian child should know, though it is important for parents to emphasise the fact that this hotline is only appropriate if there is imminent danger. Due to the fact that legitimate emergencies are relatively rare, it is suggested that children also memorize their parents’ mobile numbers for all non-emergency situations.
Teach head safety & ensure that helmets are worn
A child’s brain is not developed enough to completely comprehend the issues associated with not wearing a helmet. Youngsters will often adopt a ‘it would never happen to me’ attitude regarding their safety, and will opt to stay away from helmets due to the supposedly ‘uncool’ persona that they give off.
As a result of this, parents often have trouble instilling positive helmet wearing habits in their children. While it is obviously a very difficult task, there are some strategies that parents can use to guide their child in the right direction. Specifically, parents can;
- Sit down with their child and educate them about the importance of a helmet
Educate your children about the human head, and how delicate it is to falls. You don’t want to scare your child, but rather inform them about the dangers that can arise from falling without the proper head protection.
- Lead by example
Children will often try and mimic their parents’ behavior. Therefore, it goes without saying that parents need to lead by example.
- Reward your child for wearing a helmet
Praise good behavior; give your child a treat of some sorts when they are behaving in a safe manner.
Teach your child to swim
The Australian coastline extends over 34,000 kilometers, and is made up of over 10,000 beaches. While these beaches provide entertainment for most, they can be fatal for inexperienced swimmers.
Research suggests that most children who drown had no intention of being in water. This indicates the importance of your child learning to swim. In essence, they need to be prepared to deal with any sort of water related accident.
Therefore, parents must ensure that their child can effectively cope with the pressure of being in physical water. In terms of building the skill, it is recommended that parents enroll their children in guided swimming lessons until they are comfortable.
Conclusion
While protecting your child is important, it is crucial that parents let their kid live their own life. You are not going to be with your child 24×7, suggesting that the focus of a parent should be to instil good long-term values as oppose to enforcing strict rules that will be broken as soon as a child leaves home.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to read this piece detailing why sports are beneficial in the development of children.