As a parent, it’s natural always to want the best for your kids. When they get into a bad situation, you want to be able to prepare them for what to do. However, you won’t always be there to help them out when they might need you. Whether you’re with them or not, equipping them with the skills and resources to lead a healthy life can be difficult sometimes. Luckily, there are some golden tips to follow when it comes to looking out for your kids in the best way you can. Ultimately, you know best when it comes to your kids, but sometimes, it’s good to have an extra resource at hand.
Teach them what to do in an emergency
It may sound like a given, but you’d be surprised at how many kids out there don’t know how to act in an emergency situation. Of course, there are times where as an adult you can still be unsure of what to do, but there is a basic set of guidelines that you can revert to when the time is right. If there is a fire, you call 911; if there’s a medical emergency, you do the same. If you can instill these teachings in your child from an early age, they’ll be far more likely to use that important information if and when the time comes.
For times when calling an emergency number isn’t enough, or for when your kid could end up in a situation where you’re not there to help, there are small practices that you can weave into your everyday life that will help them in the future. For example, kids often learn best through activities and movement, which is why it’s best to role-play possible scenarios. This will provide them with a fun and carefree setting to learn in without scaring them. It will also let them know that what they’re learning about is serious enough to take on board.
Ensure they’re taken care of if something bad happens to you
Unfortunately, there could come a time when you aren’t able to be there for your children in the same ways as before, if at all. Naturally, you’ll want to ensure that you’re still able to take care of them as best you can. If you’re unwell, it’s a good idea to invest in a carer if you can, so that if you have young kids, they aren’t left in the dark about what to do. Like many parents, if you can’t afford this, try and make use of your wider family, who will hopefully step in to help if you need them to. Not only this but by making sure that your kids have someone to speak to when they’re down will give them a healthy environment to process their emotions.
On the rare chance that something happens to remove you from their life entirely, you don’t want to leave them with a mountain of debt or stress on top of the grieving process. It’s a good idea to make sure you have a reliable life insurance provider on the back burner. Term life insurance quotes from trusted companies will mean that you only put a small amount of money away each month for if something were to happen. It might not ever happen, but it’s always a good idea to have a backup, just in case.
Don’t be too overprotective
There is a tendency among some parents to want to protect their child from everything the world could throw at them. While the intentions behind this are noble, numerous psychological studies have concluded that it is incredibly harmful in the long run to shelter your child from everything. It is also impossible to do this without keeping them locked inside and throwing away the key.
There was surely a time where you grew up wondering why your parents stopped you from going to certain events, or from walking the wrong way home from school. Where these worries are perfectly normal, it’s important to realize that being protective and being overprotective are two very different things. You don’t want to restrict your child’s quality of life, so make sure your worries don’t impact too closely on how they live.
Be honest with them
There is a temptation, especially with younger children, to sugarcoat the truth in ugly situations. However, there are times that they may not be old enough to understand, or when they aren’t ready to deal with something just yet. Not only is it difficult to be honest in these scenarios, but it can also be the wrong thing to do. Perhaps surprisingly, there are more occasions than not where it’s helpful to be honest with your kids. It could even be harmful if you don’t teach how honesty is the best policy. Teaching them life lessons will be more useful to them if they hear honest stories, rather than those made up to save you from telling them. Whether you like it or not, kids will learn about how to navigate life first through you, so you want to let them know how to deal with it best. It will enable them to grow up not totally naive to the world, and it will also cultivate an open environment at home. It will also encourage a healthy open door policy. When it comes down to it, your child is more likely to be honest with you and other people if they know you’ve been honest with them. It also means that they know you will always be there for them if they get into a tricky situation.
Even at an early age, kids have a knack for spotting when people are lying, especially their own parents. In the age of technology, they can always find out information online rather than through you. Though you might not want to be honest with them about how the world works, it’s often far better that they hear it from you, rather than them finding it out from an unreliable source.