Teach your children well, let them make mistakes
WHEN one mentions teenagers, most commonly the first image that comes to a parent’s mind is one of a pimpled, brooding adolescent — filled with angst, rebellion and self-assuming ignorance.
As a teenager, it seems to me that in the eyes of older generations, we are only perceived and labelled as wilful and distracted “no work and all play” millennials.
But in response to this sort of portrayal that seems aimed at driving a wedge between teenagers and adults, there is only one burning question on my mind: Parents, were you not teenagers once?
Many parents argue that their disciplinary actions are always done out of love, concern, or, fear, of their children repeating mistakes they once made. But allowing your children to make some mistakes may not necessarily be a bad thing. Most people — especially adolescents — learn best and most effectively from experience, all the failures, mistakes, and consequences.
As the saying goes: “There are no mistakes, and only lessons.”
I am not encouraging teenagers to brush off their wrongdoings under the excuse that it was just a “lesson to be learnt,” nor am I disregarding the fact that there are risky situations no teenager should be exposed to.
But some blunders are not going to completely ruin your child’s life. An overpowering parent can become smothering/ suffocating. Experimenting is a big part of growing up. If anything, making mistakes and learning will only help build your child up for more success as they mature faster.