By being supportive and caring, you give your kids the opportunity to thrive in life and become healthy, optimistic, and successful adults. It’s your job as a parent or guardian, to raise your family in the most attentive and selfless way you can. It’s crucial that you show love and kindness to your children, and nurture their interests and individualities. Offer words of advice and wisdom where called for, and try your very best to spend quality time together as an inclusive, understanding, and encouraging family unit. Give your children a safe platform to speak from, and encourage them to talk to you. Engage your children on a personal level, and ask them about their day, their interests, friends, and school life.
Be Honest With Them
Your children need to feel loved and respected, and that you listen to them. Staying in an unsatisfactory relationship or marriage for the sake of the kids can be damaging and distressing, and sometimes having two homes is far better than one. This is especially true if the house and family dynamic is hostile and begrudged. If times are somewhat rocky, then you owe it to your children to explain what’s going on. Children can be extremely intuitive, and they might have already noticed a change in atmosphere within your home. Don’t keep your children in the dark over matters like these, and explain the implications early and in full. Find out more on the topic of civil and domestic partnerships, and LGBT family law if you’re affected.
Foster Interests
Inspire your kids to want to get involved in social activities from a young age. Take them along to baby and toddler classes, so that they can learn to engage with others, as well as to share and respect the boundaries of their peers. Introduce your children to a wide range of different societies, clubs, and classes, and nurture their emotional wellbeing as well as any skills or talents they might show.
Travel With Them
Broaden their minds by introducing them to cultures and faiths that differ far beyond their own. A child’s mind is impressionable and eager to learn, so make sure that they’re absorbing as much information and experience as they can. You needn’t have to travel the world with your kids and backpacks in tow, instead you take them to different states or European cities to try to understand how others experience life in contrast to theirs, from tasting unexplored flavors to meeting new people. Through traveling, children also quickly begin to realize the importance of organizational skills and how crucial they are to ensuring that journeys go smoothly.
Give Praise and Encouragement
When your child works hard to achieve a prize or an accolade, then you should praise them for their effort. Tell your children that you love them unconditionally every day, and be sure to let them know that you support them and you’ll continue to do so. Validate your children by recognizing their achievements, and acknowledging the energy that went into performing as well as they have done. Be sure to encourage your children to undertake new activities and learning ventures, like beginning to understand different languages or playing an instrument.