“How To Raise Happy Kids” . . . Ideas to Ponder!
In his book, The Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children, John Rosewald makes some interesting observations. He refers to his observations as myths that actually delay the development of children. Here are four of the myths he refers to – and the explanation that might make raising your children easier and more rewarding. Food for thought? Thought provoking?? It’s worth contemplating!!!
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Myth #1: Children should always come first. The more child-centered the family has become, the more self-centered children have become. Except for the first few years of life, children do not require constant attention – anymore than they require unlimited food. Too much attention is every bit as damaging, making it difficult for the child to outgrow his infantile self-centeredness.
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Myth #2: A family is a democracy. Parents often ask, “How can we get children to obey?” The answer is simple and direct: “If you expect your children to obey, they will.” When parents plead, bargain, bribe, threaten, give second chances or “reason” with children, they are wishing for – not expecting – obedience. The fact is, a family is not a democracy. Eventually someone has to have the final say, and that someone better be an adult, or everyone is in trouble.
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Myth #3: Housework is for parents only. The ultimate purpose of raising children is to help them out of our lives and into successful lives of their own. Chores provide a sense of accomplishment, enlarging a child’s feelings of worth. You should begin assigning chores when your child is three. At this age, kids are eager to please and want to get involved in whatever their parents are doing. By age 18, children should know how to wash and iron clothes, prepare basic meals, clean bathrooms, mow grass, etc. All this training not only helps prepare children for adulthood but also develops an appreciation for the effort parents put into maintaining a household.
Myth #4: Frustration is bad for children. Believing the fairytale that frustration causes stress and poor self-esteem, parents work hard to “protect” their children from this terrible scourge. But the truth is, life involves many frustrations, and it’s only through experience with frustration that we develop a tolerance for it. This enables us to turn adversity into challenge and persevere in the face of it. Perseverance, that all-important “if at first you don’t succeed” attitude, is the primary quality in every success story.
