The birth of a child is one of the biggest blessings a family could experience. There is no greater reward for a parent than to see their child grow before their eyes into a fully mature person. Every milestone they went through brought unique memories and challenges as well. For the first time, the child made eye contact with the mother to the point when he/she had to leave the parents home behind and build their future, there are so many memorable moments.
As parents, we are looking forward to raising a child that is capable, skilled, and knowledgeable in most of the aspects related to life, a child who is able to handle the responsibilities of a mature person that he or she is going to be one day. Raising a well-rounded child is something every parent hopes for and this does not come without challenges and sacrifices.
We all start somewhere, and we all want what’s best for our children. Providing them with the right learning environment, and giving the right life lessons is not an easy task. Every parent wants what’s best for their children and raising a well-rounded child means that you have to pull out your best parenting skills. We have put together a word of encouragement and advice that we hope will help you raise a well-behaved child and build a strong relationship between you.
Support them as much as possible
This might sound like not a big deal and most parents think they have already figured out how to establish a solid support system. The truth is, parents often overlook certain things that might help grow the confidence of their children, or the way they handle some situations might affect the child’s confidence rather than develop it.
As a parent, you could hurt a child’s confidence by arguing with them when they fail to do something or not acknowledging their work even if it’s not perfect. It is important for the child to feel that they have a solid support system at home and this will help them down the road. As a parent, you can help your child grow into a competent and ambitious person, who is happy with all his/her achievements and accomplishments.
You can make your child feel confident and loved by supporting them even at times when they fail and make sure you acknowledge their merit even for things that might seem small or insignificant. Even a gesture as small as knocking before entering their room could have a big impact on your relationship. This is just an easy way to build a solid support system and consolidate your relationship with your child.
Raise an outgoing child
In the first stages of life, children tend to spend most of their time with their parents and in the presence of other family members. However, it is important to help your children become sociable and easily interact or integrate into other groups by introducing them to other people in different contexts.
Take, for example, participating in a volunteer activity hosted in your community and do this together with your child. Relocating to another city, there will be a new neighborhood, new school and you should do your best to help your kids adjust to all the changes. Vacations, summer camps, and even classmates are ways your kids could start building their social skills.
In the beginning, it might be a bit scary for them, but give them the chance to get out of their comfort zone in order to see new faces and make new friends. Long-term this is going to help them be outgoing, improve their social skills, and help them establish new and long-lasting relationships. This will definitely help you raise a well-rounded child that is socially engaging.
Develop reading habits
It is very obvious nowadays that most people no longer read books, or have a dedicated time in their schedule for reading. Most of us feel like it’s very boring to read and you would rather do something else instead. But, have you ever thought that your disliking towards reading might have been caused by the fact that you never really were encouraged to read or your parents never read anything to you?
In a parent to children relationship, reading is so important because of multiple reasons. First of all, reading to your child creates a beautiful bond between you both. Secondly, it develops their literacy skills and language giving them the ability to express themselves in words. In this case, reading with your children does exactly the same thing to you, so you get to have a great time with your kid and you both enjoy the benefits of reading.
Reading opens up the child’s imagination like nothing else and this way you get to teach him important moral lessons through story-telling. Videos on the internet for children could also help them learn an important lesson but it could also result in your kid spending too much time in front of the screen instead of reading. Make sure you limit their time spent in front of the screen and encourage other activities. That way you will raise a well-behaved child and in the long run, they will learn to enjoy reading and develop themselves through literature.
Encourage your kids to learn new skills
Not every family has a prodigy in their home, but with effort and work, you can learn pretty much anything from scratch. Finding your passion for something for the first time is a wonderful experience and you feel like you want to stick with it for the rest of your life. The same applies to your children and when they find their passions for the first time it is good to be there and encourage them to follow their dreams.
It is always nice to see your children passionate about something. Whether it is sports, music, cooking, or anything else for that matter, it’s always great when kids discover new skills at a young age. Not every child was born to have perfect grades and excel academically, but some of them can really shine as soon as they step out of the classroom.
Simple things such as unstructured play and other home activities can really help kids in the way of cognitive development or physical development. By doing this you are sure to raise a child that is passionate about what he/she is doing and they will make you proud.
Conclusion
Raising a well-rounded child is not an easy task and the very first years in their development are so crucial. All the advice covered in this article will help build a solid relationship with your child and help you raise a child that is confident, ambitious, skillful, smart, and sociable.
It is your responsibility as a parent to ensure that your children have a great start in life so that they will keep succeeding further down the road. The bigger your kids get the more problems you will have to deal with so make sure you set a solid foundation from the beginning, and that will help in the long run.
This will not only help you raise a well-rounded child but it will also create some of the most unforgettable childhood memories that will last forever. Also, if you like our advice make sure you share it with other parents on your social media accounts and let them know these few tips on how to raise a well-rounded child.