Creating great childhood memories is something that needs to start right from the early years. The saying “charity begins at home” without doubt indicates the importance of a parent in the development of their children. Raising grateful children has its root in raising children who have a great foundation and relationship with their parents. Parents are the very first line of instructors a child has to teach the child the right choices to make and those to avoid. Children watch most by watching than just being told.
We teach our children the choices that need to be made by showing them the choices we make and this starts from when they are young. These are some things every parent should be capable of doing to teach and show their children how to be grateful for their childhood which they carry into their future.
A Great Childhood
Great childhoods are not hard to create. Children can have fun in almost any household, no matter how well off or financially troubled the parents are. Children do not need a chest full of toys or to travel all over the world. They have their imaginations and it is usually enough. What they do need is a household that encourages curiosity and parents who spend time helping their children develop.
Just Enough Attention
Some parents smother their children, making their children overly reliant upon them therefore limiting their ability to be independent.
Then you have the parents who are either too busy or too aloof to give their children attention; failing to guide them and to be parents. Parenting is a balancing act. You balance your personal time with the time needed to maintain a healthy mother/father/son/daughter relationship.
Love
Children need love growing up. It is not about making them feel overly special or over cuddling them. It is about teaching them the importance of love, teaching them how interpersonal relationships are supposed to work.
If parents don’t have strong relationships with their children, it may be harder for them to have any strong relationships in later years. When a child has the enabling environment of a loving environment, they will thrive and grow into confident adults.
Respect
Respect is not only for your elders; it is also the other way around. In fact, it should be reciprocal from adults to children as well. Each individual should have respect for every other individual. Demanding respect because you are a parent tells your child that you ought to be respected just because you are his or her parent and this does not necessarily teach your child that everyone deserves respect.
The only way to teach respect is to be respectful. That goes for the way you speak to your children and the way you treat them, the way you respect their point of view.
Clear Guidance And Good Advice
A parent is supposed to guide and give good advice to their children. There is no excuse for failing to give your children clear guidance and having a trusting relationship. If you have a clear and open line of communication then it is easier to grow with your child and continue to be a good trusted sounding board.
Loving to Learn
Parents are the very first teachers. Once your children approach school age, do not give all the responsibility to teachers in school, you are still the best instructor and you can encourage your child’s learning.
Teach your children early on and they’ll love learning. If they love to learn, they cannot fail in life. Mission accomplished.
Be There
Having parents who support you, listen to you and who are there for you when the going gets tough in every form of the meaning, is something that is truly priceless. The family bond can be extremely powerful if worked on from the beginning and continuously nurtured. It is the ideal support team for when life throws its challenges.
Parents should be friendly with their children. We should be able to talk with them and share. Parents and children should learn to understand each other and learn to have an open dialogue. Having loving parents who care for you is truly something to be thankful for and this is the foundation of creating childhood memories. [Read: Create Family Traditions]
