Parenting is not just always being right. Parenting should never be seen under the lens of correctness and righteousness. It should be scrutinized.
Traditional and mythological have always taught us that the position of parents in our life is as important as that of God.
Thus there is no role bigger than parenting. But what if the parenting method is actually detrimental to a child’s overall growth?
What if your parenting is too strict or too liberal and is unable to impart the values of upbringing properly?
What if you are overdoing or missing out some of the recent parenting rules that are not present in your traditional rulebook?
Here are few glaring mistakes parents make that takes a toll on the mental health of a child:
1. The rush to make them perfect
Parents want their kids to be nothing less than a perfectionist. The craze to have a child who is perfect in everything blinds parents completely. They forget the limits and keep pushing a child to pursue everything.
Parents are seen sending their kids to different arts classes after study hours. Instead of deciding their talent, parents should give some time and wait for the child to show its real talent. It is always better to polish an inborn talent and bring something good out of it instead of imposing classes and teachings of some other thing.
2. Sending them on a guilt trip
Do not try to manipulate your child by emotional blackmailing or by making them feel guilty.
Do not make the child feel he or she is being negligent to their responsibilities. Teach them the ethics of parent child relationship if you feel they have become careless with that, but never use words or phrases that can put a debilitating effect on the child’s mind.
Putting them through guilt, will affect their self confidence. Repetition of such behaviour will keep them away from taking initiatives. In the long run, the child may be scared to make decisions on their own.
3. Trying to keep them inside a secure bubble
Parents always make sure to make everything safe and secure for their kids. While on one hand it is an obvious quality that comes with parenthood, on the other hand it leaves no room for the child for self exploration.
Unless and until a child is put through various situations, he or she will not understand how adversity looks like. The right way to teach a child the worldly affairs is to expose them to it. Give them an opportunity to face the world.
4. Keeping an eye on everything
Do not engage yourself round the clock around your child. Take up some new hobbies to put your mind off the child for a while. Being there with the child every single minute is a common parental behaviour, but this limits the scope of self learning.
If a child does not fall down, it will never understand the importance of standing up. So limit yourself and restrict engaging with the child 24X7.
