Parents play a huge role in the child’s holistic development
It’s the responsibility of all parents to focus on their children’s emotional needs, provide them with a peaceful and nurturing environment at home and work in tandem with school teachers.
The advent of nuclear and dual- i ncome families has put overwhelming responsibilities on parents as far as contributing to the development of their child’s social, intellectual and emotional skills is concerned. Both the parents working often leads to them juggling between their professional lives and tending to their child’s needs roundthe- clock. From packing lunch bags and helping the child with homework to taking care of their professional commitments, everything seems like a daunting task to most parents. However, amid the constant flurry of childrelated needs and problems, parents strive to offer the best education to their kids and support them in their holistic development.
Only good parental support enables a child to stay positive and healthy lifelong. Children are also able to perform better academically and acquire necessary skills at an early stage of their life if their parents are responsive and understanding. While education is necessary to equip children with skills and competencies, holistic development is also of paramount importance that should go hand- in- hand with preparing them for the opportunities and challenges they might face in the future. With a persistent focus on education and extra-curricular activities, parents often tend to neglect their wards’ emotional needs. In fact, there is little-to-no emphasis laid on developing children’s emotional intelligence in schools, which makes it necessary for parents to understand and pay heed to their emotional needs. Kids often fall prey to bullying and cyber-bullying, which makes it difficult for parents to identify the behavioural changes in them. As a parent, helping children with their feelings make them feel better and brings down the possibilities of any behavioural problem. Parents need to support their children when they are frustrated and distressed. They should constantly guide them to evaluate their problems that arise from inappropriate behaviour, such as aggression or emotional outbursts; and encourage them to think of ways to solve them. Children who can manage their emotions often experience more positive feedback from others and are more successful in their lives. When parents and teachers work together, there is an effective exchange of information concerning both the performance and development of a child. This helps both teachers and the parents in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of a child. Parents should spare some time to monitor the happenings in the school, oversee the assignments and help the kids prepare for tests and ongoing projects. This can work wonders. Timely communication with teachers to stay abreast about a child’s performance and getting feedback on their academic and other developmental areas is important. Parents also need to spend maximum time with their children to learn about the problems they face in school, their experiences etc. In this manner, parents and teachers can work together towards evaluating the weaknesses and strengths of their children and aid them in building a good future. Parents who fight in front of their kids end up doing more harm than they can imagine. A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology says, “Too much family discord can alter children’s brains and make them process emotions differently.” Therefore, parental arguing should be avoided, especially in the presence of kids. Apart from that, parents should encourage children to express their views and develop a positive atmosphere for them at home. They should make kids a part of some activities at home and inculcate good habits in them, like organising their rooms and helping with the household chores. Besides, parents should also spend some time to bond with their kids in the form of games and other activities. The deal is to make an effort to be involved in your child’s activities and interests.
Childhood is a very sensitive phase of life. The nurturing and care that a child receives during this stage has a profound impact on his or her transition into adulthood. By offering children the right environment, providing positive feedback, and encouraging them through thick and thin can mould them into emotionally stable personalities with superior academic performance and disciplined social behaviours.
Childhood is a very sensitive phase of life. The nurturing and care that children receive during this stage has a profound impact on their transition into adulthood.
The author is co-founder and CEO, Next Education India