Meridian Magazine

Tips on Child Education

Preparing children for life is an art. There are many things that parents should know and do about this. The children who appreciate their talents and capabilities—believing in the importance of them—and have self confidence become active agents in their personal improvement since belief and confidence motivate them. Instead of waiting for an opportunity to knock at their doors, they should take advantage of present opportunities.

If their thoughts and decisions are not valued, if they suffer from violence, if their excuses are mostly considered lies, if their pleasure is seen as a sign of being pampered, then children will not develop self-respect and they will lose self-confidence. Another point that should be kept in mind is that children always want to spend some time on their special interests. Yet, if it is the parents who generally decide what the child should do and do not offer other options, the child becomes deprived of his or her interest.

When children need the parents, they should be near enough that the children can find them. However, this “closeness” should not be limited only to physical occasions. There should be emotional support, too. The most important way for parents to supply this psychological support is to show their love to their children. Hugging, kissing and putting an arm on the child's shoulder can be much more impressive than saying. In this way, the child feels strong and every duty turns into a pleasure for them. To make children gain self-confidence, the parents should first know them from every aspect, recognize their talents, and then should establish necessary environment to improve their abilities. Also, parents should neither humiliate their child among other people nor exaggerate his or her failures.

Moreover, it is essential to give opportunity to children to express their thoughts very often, to try to understand their feelings by asking, “What do you think? How do you feel?” to look at their face while they are speaking, making them feel that you care about them and to appreciate positive behaviors and successes they have demonstrated. In addition, it is important to set some time aside for the child, to chat with them, to talk about their negative behavior and how it could be corrected, to establish a happy and peaceful family environment, to strengthen family relations and to make children feel that they are an inseparable part of the family. Children who are socially active are more selfconfident. In this sense, especially less sociable children should be encouraged to attend social activities.

In order to help the child to establish a strong character, the fears and concerns of the child should be respected; thus, the parents should avoid severely critical or judgmental behavior, and they should not compare the child with other children. Furthermore, children should be required to do things that are appropriate to their age. The parents should avoid improper types of punishment and reward. Hence, children should not be belittled, and  their presence should be respected; however, the parents should not expect extraordinary things, and keep inmind that the child has a different and improving character. The parents should pay attention to their school life, character education and spiritual life.