I believe that what we become
depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments,
when they aren’t trying to teach us.
We are formed by
little scraps of wisdom.
If you are a parent, and, even if you are not, you have certainly seen how dynamic the world of child-rearing can be. As times change, the approaches to raising children will most likely continue to change as well.
As science continues to come up with new innovations and inventions, children seem to develop intelligence earlier and earlier. As a parent, it is part of your responsibility to ensure that you can keep up with everything that is going on with your children.
Here are a few important points for successful parenting in today’s ever-morphing world:
1. Keep up on technology. At the rate at which technology evolves, it is important that you keep up with it. Remember that your children now rely on technology for virtually everything. Knowing what they are doing with their technology can help you relate better to them.
- While away from your children, split your communication time between the phone and the internet. Get involved with social media, email, and other means of electronic communication. It will help you seem a little “cool” to your children, and will help you to keep up-to-date on their activities.
- When shopping for gifts, think tech. Even simple things, like reading, can be achieved through technology. As far as today’s children are concerned, e-readers are cooler than paperbacks. Embrace some of their idea of coolness while encouraging the age-old practice of reading.
- Learning new technology with your children opens their eyes to new interests.
2. Respect tradition. Even though there are new ways of doing almost everything, it is important to stay true to some traditions. Avoid forcing your children to do things the same way you used to do them, but at least expose them to how things were before. You know, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. 🙂
- Explain to your children how you used to communicate with other people. Teach them letter-writing skills, for example. Show them that they can still achieve basic tasks even in the absence of technology.
- Get them involved with some “old school” games. Take them outdoors and play hide-and-seek. Get out the board games at family parties.
- Sensitize them to the simple fun they can have outside of staring at a monitor screen.
- If there is a power outage, you want to help your children see it as something other than a cataclysmic catastrophe. There are non-electric ways to have fun.
3. Encourage then to have their own opinions and embrace them. The modern parent encourages kids to give opinions. Living in the information age means that your children are constantly exposed to just about any and everything. As such, it is important to embrace those heart-to-heart conversations with them.
- Speak with your kids about the birds and the bees or discuss how they can approach someone they like at school.
- Listen to their point of view first and then give yours.
- Discuss the pros and cons of an issue and then allow them to decide the best approach.
- Give your child the freedom to make decisions after getting your sound advice. Allowing your children the space to make choices may ultimately result in them taking your recommendation.
4. Promote physical and mental toughness. In this fast-paced world, you will need to come to terms with how easily your kids can be damaged. Access to information exposes them to things you never knew as a child.
- Allow them to learn, but encourage them to be tough just in case they are not able to achieve the desired outcome.
As life in this world changes, the rules of parenting evolve as well. You will want to keep up with the ever-changing world we live in! Keep yourself in the loop so you can relate well to your children as they are growing up.
For more information, see www.martinamcgowan.com
Photo Credit: Strangers of London via Compfight cc
Related articles
Leave a Reply