One of the most dangerous mindsets is to believe that a certain way of doing things is the “best” way. If you start with the premise that your way is the “best” way, then you can safely conclude that there is no need for suggestions, because outside influences are inferior. When raising the future, we need to consider different perspectives in order to raise well-rounded children.
Often, when a child starts crying, as parents, we immediately attend to the child’s needs. Sometimes, we do this to keep our sanity, but also because we don’t want to see our child in distress. Unfortunately, this is detrimental to a child’s development, so the French do the opposite. Being at a child’s beckon call enforces the idea that the universe revolves around them. To avoid that, it’s okay to let your child wait and feel frustration. On top of that, studies show that by delaying gratification, we are actually putting our children in a better place to be successful in the future.
From our friends in Norway and Germany, we see that when a children reach age 3, we can start being a little more relaxed when it comes to our children taking risk. We can let them climb trees and use knives at age 5. By allowing them to try things, we give them a chance to display judgment and develop risk assessment. Naturally, they learn their limits at a tender age, instead of when they get behind the wheel of a car.
One of the issues plaguing America is obesity, even among children and teens. One of the contributors of this is overeating and frequent snacking. In countries like South Korea, eating is viewed as an experience to be shared. Children wait to eat until the entire family eats. As a result, South Korea enjoys one of the lowest rates of obesity in the world.
In countries like China, families tend to give more familial responsibility on their children as they get older. Responsibility tends to help students become more successful in life. We see similar results here. Have you ever wondered why valedictorians tend to have many hours of community service and are involved in several extra curricular activities?
What behaviors can you correct that would be most beneficial to your child? Who could you reach out to for help? What small steps are you willing to do now?