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All parents want what’s best for their kids. No matter how many parenting books you read, though, it might feel impossible to determine if you’re giving too much guidance or too little. Too far in either direction has the potential to diminish a child’s sense of independence and ability to self-motivate. These are some general rules that any parent can live by to ensure their child’s future is bright and promising.
It’s the Effort That Counts
It’s often tempting to focus on results rather than the work that went into them in this output-driven world. As a parent, it’s your job to pay attention to how hard your child is working, regardless of whether they succeed or fail.
Stick to a Schedule
Children are already going through enough with the growing pains of physical and mental development. It’s all the more important for them to be eating and sleeping at regular times. In a chaotic world, this regularity makes at least those simple things certain.
Play Is Important
An overworked lifestyle is all too common in the modern professional world. If a child isn’t encouraged to dive into fun recreational and extracurricular activities, they’re sure to lose the passion for work done in the classroom. Hard work pairs best with hard play, providing kids a place to explore feelings and roles outside of their regular daily life.
Let Them Make Their Own Mistakes
Although it’s hard for any parent to do, you have to let your kids stumble and even fall sometimes. When a misstep can become a teachable experience, it’s probably in your child’s best interest to let them work it out on their own. It may be hard, but shielding your child from all negative experiences will only make it harder when they’re faced with adult-sized consequences later on in life.
Praise Specific Things
It’s easy to tell your child that they did a good job at something, but sometimes praise has to go deeper than that in order to be effective. It can be as simple as noticing that she or he got an excellent grade in a subject they were struggling with, or it can be complimenting specific qualities of a project they completed.
Focus on Schooling
Many young independent self-starters attend private schools, like the Delphian School. These types of schools can give your children even more responsibility, which teaches them to be a self-starter and will help them in their lives down the road.
Having the skill to be a self-starter pays off in education and careers. Use the above tips to help your children develop this valuable skill while they are young.
