Being a parent in today’s economic and social environment is as challenging as being a child. The human race is advancing at break-neck speed as we venture deeper into the information age. Raising a child requires spending quality time with them, instilling your values in them to help them develop into well-adjusted, functioning adults.
With so many people living in two-income households where both parents have to work to make ends meet has resulted in a lost generation of youth. Drugs, violence, and sex have infiltrated society and keeping your child away from these influences are paramount.
Being a purposeful parent means that you take an active interest in your child’s life, every single day. If you fail to meet your duties as a parent, your child may grow up to experience the pitfalls of society, putting them in a position to be at a disadvantage to make the most of their life.
Here are five examples of what it takes to be parents for purpose.
1. Become Actively Involved in Your Child’s Education
Educating your children is possibly the most significant task you will face as a parent. A child with a good education has an opportunity in life. Get involved with your child’s schooling, most parent’s involvement with their kids’ education boils down to asking them if they did their homework. This parenting strategy simply isn’t good enough. Take time every day to ask your kids about their school life. Are they having fun? Are their teachers good? Where do they struggle? Homeschooling is the best solution to ensure you have a well-educated child in their former years.
2. Teach Your Kids about Recycling
Kids need to understand the importance of the earth’s environment and the human impact on it. Teach them sustainable practices such as recycling and how solar energy works. Doing all you can to instill good values and habits in your children when they are young will benefit them as they grow older.
3. Show Them How to Grow Their Own Garden
Another sustainable practice to imprint upon your child is that of growing their own food. Children need to understand the importance of organic produce. By teaching them how to build and grow a veggie garden, you educate them that groceries do not come from the shops, they come from the earth. Many full-grown adults have no idea how to grow a vegetable garden, so by teaching your kids this skill, you give them an advantage in life.
4. Support Interest in Animals
By encouraging interest in animals, you give your child an understanding of the natural world. Arrange a trip to the zoo that will be informative and educational, as well as a lot of fun. Kids need to understand that we share the planet with other species and that they should treat all life as precious.
5. Teach Them the Importance of Community
Community has become more of an estranged concept as we progress further into the new millennium. Gone are the days of neighbors talking to us and community groups that look out for everyone in the neighborhood. Community is important because when disaster strikes, your community will give you the support you need to carry on with life. Teaching your kids, the importance of this vital social structure is critically important and teaches them social skills.
Mum’s Two Cents
Children grow into adults and most of the habits they will learn whilst they are young they will carry throughout their adult life. It is a must that we give our children the best opportunities in life by becoming involved with theirs now.
:camera: via Pixabay
3 Comments
Great post, advocating active involvement as a Parenting methodology. To add another item to it, negotiate with kids often. This means get things done that are against their natural liking and give out what makes them truly happy as a bargain.
They’ll soon start liking what they earlier disliked, as they’ll associate these with the end outcome of deriving satisfaction in doing the other stuff which they always loved to do.
E.g., Cabbage Vs Extra hours of play during weekend.
That is also a great tip, and now that I think about it, I should’ve really included it in the post. I do this often, negotiating with my little man to do something I want him to do in exchange for something of his liking. Thank you for sharing!