As a parent we often wonder what sort of impact are we making upon our children and how much of what we do, they try to emulate in their lives. Their is nothing more precious than the memories we provide them or the valuable lesson we give them to learn from for their future. Here are a few important life lessons to give your children for a better tomorrow.
1. Value for oneself
A child should be taught healthy sense of self-respect and self-worth,healthy body/self-image,an expectation of being treated with that fundamental level of respect every human being is entitled to. A child should be taught the importance of awareness of how much additional respect and value their personal achievements and accomplishments merit in the real world.
A drive to always improve oneself, and an awareness that investing in yourself is one of the best investments you can make.
2. Value for others
A child should be aware about the idea that every human being has worth and deserves at least some fundamental level of respect and kindness.
Empathy should be taught as it relates to interacting with others (both fostering it and teaching them where, when, how, and why it sometimes needs to be limited.)
The art of making good friends and how to keep them; fostering a healthy social disposition.
Manners- where, when, how, and why we use them.
Humility, the ability to realize the smallness of our universe in the scope of things, and within other people’s personal universes.
3. Independence
Self-sufficiency is an incredibly vital lesson, the most important aspects of which include:
Intellectual independence- thinking for oneself, even when it doesn’t align with your parents/friends/whomever’s views.
Emotional independence- not needing approval or excess attention from others, not giving in to peer pressure.
Tangible independence- teaching your child how to physically and financially take care of themselves both presently and in the future. Independent problem solving, fixing things, finances, etc; the basic how-to’s of banal, day-to-day life.
4. Curiosity and Critical Thinking
Parents should always try to foster an active and curious mind. Kids must be taught how to constantly examine both themselves and the world around them, never taking any assumptions (especially their own) for granted.
Critical thinking and self-examination are essential to becoming a fully-realized, self-aware adult.
Fostering curiosity can be hugely beneficial to a child too-their personal interests ought to be encouraged through hobbies and parental involvement, and new ideas and experiences presented to them whenever possible.
5. Emotional Development and Self-Expression
Maturity of thought and feeling out to be fostered. Imparting values, insights, and perspectives is a part of this- as is instilling an aspiration to always seek out a deeper understanding of things and discern underlying meaning.
Self-expression is a human imperative, and encouraging and enabling your child to do so in healthy, constructive ways (either via communication or an outlet such as art) is a vital lesson.
6. Self Discipline
Success in one’s personal goals without a decent level of self-discipline is next to impossible.
Complacency should be heavily discouraged, the child pushed to consistently seek the next level of achievement or knowledge in whatever area their interests lay.
Self-discipline as an extension of self-respect is an important distinction to get across as well, and ensures to some extent that the self-management skills you teach your child will carry across once they’re no longer within your domain.
7. Social Dynamics
This area spans such books are How To Win Friends and Influence People and The Game.
8. Psychology
Particularly the psychology of happiness. Some aspects are intellectual (like the hedonistic treadmill concept and correlations of various factors with happiness). And other aspects are a practice, like cultivating a positive attitude and letting things go when it’s not useful to worry about them.
9. Economy
Teach how to manage their financial world. How not to waste money. Advices such as:
Don’t buy things you can’t afford (credit cards are for racking up points only),
save for short-term and long-term needs, don’t buy things you don’t need, spending more in the short-term when it will save you money in the long-term, etc.
10. Optimism
It’s helpful for your child to have one friend and to be good at one thing.Having at least one friend and being good at one thing will help a child develop a positive attitude. A positive attitude goes a long way in life.
That one thing could be anything. There is a lot of positive reinforcement when a kid can do something well. Not every kid is going to be a soccer or basketball star but there are so many other things out there.
Source:Quora