All parents have their own – unique – way of bringing up their kids. They do their best
to raise them, but nobody's perfect. That's why, when they look back, they all want to
fix some of the mistakes they made in the past. Here are some of the things they regret,
so you can avoid making the same mistakes.
1. They scolded their children too often Reprimanding a child for something they did
wrong is totally normal. But sometimes parents go overboard and it turns into nitpicking.
Some parents believe that the higher their expectations are for their children, the more
successful the kids will be in the future. But it surely doesn't work this way. Scolding
a child for every little mistake can lead to behavioral problems. Punishments for bad
grades are also harmful. They can kill off the desire for learning in any child. And,
of course, being too strict can have another huge downside – a poor relationship with
your child. That's why you should only punish your kids for things that actually matter.
A broken cup shouldn’t be on that list.
2. They missed out on the most important moments in their children's lives.
Of course, every parent has a lot of commitments, and juggling all of them is no easy feat.
But children desperately need parents to be there for them. Some occasions that might
not seem that important for an adult, really mean a lot for kids. Children need to have
someone close to them at moments like these. Even if you think you have a good reason to
miss your child's school play, do your best to be present. Find time to visit grandma,
go to the theatre, decorate your house for the holidays. Because your bond with your
children gets stronger by creating memories together. Otherwise, in the future, you'll
feel bad about how many great moments passed you by.
3. They didn’t play enough creative games. Of course, simply playing creative games with
your kids won’t necessarily make them great artists or musicians in the future. But, hey,
there’s always a chance. Doing this has a lot of other advantages as well. Any kind
of activity, like drawing or playing with playdough, has a positive effect on developing
their intelligence, imagination, and increasing their vocabulary. Also, if your kid is engaged
in a lot of different activities, it makes it easier for you to find out what they have
an interest in and what they’re good at. This is important since they can show promising
abilities even at a young age and develop them later.
4. They didn’t take enough photos and videos. Obviously, not taking photos won’t have
any bad impact on your kids’ lives. But it’s the best way to capture amazing moments
that you don’t want to forget. When your kids grow up and leave home, the pictures
will be there to remind you what a long way they’ve come. Besides, looking through those
pictures together with your grown-up kids lets you relive all their milestones and those
beautiful memories together. That’s why not using a camera often enough is one of
the regrets many parents can relate to. And even though we live in a digital era, having
a classic photo album can be a nice family tradition.
5. They didn’t take their child’s opinion into account.
“You’re too young to decide”, “Adults know better” are probably phrases you heard
quite often when you were a kid. It was irritating, right? But this kind of attitude from parents
can have a serious impact on a kid’s future. If children feel like their opinion is often
neglected, they may grow up to be insecure. And it’s logical if you think about it.
How can you know what you want from life or set your own goals to achieve if there was
always someone who made decisions for you? Of course, as a parent, you can’t go along
with your kid’s every wish or desire. I mean, your kid really can’t bring home every
stray dog they meet. That’s your wife’s job. Really! But instead of simply refusing,
explain to the child why it’s a bad idea. In some other cases, you can discuss their
opinion and meet them half-way.
6. They didn’t enjoy communicating with their child.
Communication between parents and kids is probably the most important thing in upbringing.
So if you don’t put aside enough time for it, one day you’ll wake up and realize that
your child has grown up already and is living their own life. Of course, it’s totally
okay to do things around the house when your kid is playing alone. But try not to turn
it into a habit. Because children need not only your physical presence, but emotional
involvement as well, to feel they’re loved and cared about. There’s no turning time
back, so let yourself enjoy the moments you spend together.
7. They didn’t educate them about money. For some reason, some parents avoid the topic
of money with their kids. Of course, these children don’t believe that money grows
on a tree, but they might think it just magically appears in the ATM. Without education on personal
finance and responsible spending, children don’t understand the real worth of money.
And when they grow up, they find it hard to manage their own income. Giving your kid some
pocket money will teach them how to save up and spend wisely. Besides, you can let your
teen earn their own money. They can mow the lawn of a neighbor or babysit. Every time
you go shopping together, tell your kids how much money they can spend this time to limit
their wishes. All these tips will provide your children with opportunities to learn
about things like budgeting, saving, and being more responsible.
8. They didn’t make their child happy enough. Good memories from our childhood are a real
treasure for most of us. We like to go back in our mind to that time when we were carefree,
and quite often every day was filled with doing something for the first time. Every
child should have a lot of new experiences and live in a healthy atmosphere. That’s
what makes them happy. And when kids are happy, they develop more actively, which means they’ll
find it easier to adapt to adult life and start new relationships in the future. So,
go to an amusement park, ride ponies, and sail a boat with your kid. Try to do something
exciting at least once a day together to make sure your child has as many happy moments
in their life as possible.
9. They didn’t hug their children often enough.
Hugs are not only a perfect way to show affection, but also scientifically proven to be good
for our health, because they help protect against stress. Besides, it’s simply nice
to hug your own child. Unfortunately, sometimes parents don’t do it as often as they should.
Some of them think that being too affectionate with a child can make them less obedient.
Others – especially if we talk about babies – believe that holding and hugging a baby
all the time means that they’ll demand it too much in the future. But the truth is,
the older a child gets, the less they want to be hugged. So, enjoy the hugs with your
kids while you can.
10. They weren’t consistent. Consistency might just be one of the biggest
challenges in upbringing. For example, you usually don’t let your kids eat unhealthy
food. But suddenly you get too caught up with work and give them pizza for lunch. Next thing
you know they’re demanding it for every meal. It may feel next-to-impossible to maintain
the exact same standards for your children daily, but not trying to do so often leads
to major regrets for parents. Kids get confused about what’s allowed and
what’s not. Without clear boundaries, they probably won’t behave the way you want them
to, and obedience issues become inevitable. Also, don’t forget that you should follow
your own rules to set an example. No phone during family dinner means no phone for everyone.
11. They often followed someone else’s advice. There are people who just can’t help but
give advice, even if nobody asks for it. And sometimes young, inexperienced parents feel
like it’s better to listen to them. Such “experts” have tons of information about
the way you should feed, dress, and raise your children. Of course, some of it may be
useful and sensible, but never forget that YOU are the parent, so it’s up to you to
decide what’s best for your kids. Also, don’t let strangers scold your child for
misbehaving. A child needs to feel there’s always someone who will support and protect
them. So, let them know they can always count on you.
What’s your favorite childhood memory? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned
something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
But – hey! – don’t go eating pizza for lunch just yet! We have over 2,000 cool videos
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and enjoy! Stay on the Bright Side of life!