A baby is exceptionally easy to love. When you are a new parent, your whole world is filled up with fresh baby goodness. They smell great, they’re cute, they come with a lot of stuff – they’re easy to love. The fact they’re so cute, and we feel a visceral, animal love for our children when they are born helps us to fulfil their needs – even at 1am. The problem is that children come with so much more than cuteness. It’s not in human nature to be selfless, and children demand it from us. They demand that we cope with their physical needs, their emotional wellbeing and their learning – and so parents have a big job on their hands.
There are a lot of things that parents should do for their children, but if you want to raise good human beings, then these five things listed below are going to ensure that you are doing the very best that you could be doing for your kids.
- Teach your children about the world around them. Teach them about children in the rest of the world and tell them about what they have that’s different. Educating our children on the differences people have is going to help them to understand new cultures and – even more importantly – accept those differences.
- Children need your time more than they need anything else. You are their safe harbour, their haven. You can be the person that takes them to their drop-in health appointments available at The Lifesavers Foundation. You can take them to the stores for clothes when they grow out of it and hear their preferences. They need your time and attention more than they need money or screen time.
- Children need you so that they can feel secure. Helping them to own their feelings and identify them goes beyond asking why they are crying. They may not have an answer for you because they don’t know the weight of the emotions that are overwhelming them right now. Be there and hold them when they feel big feelings and let them know that they are okay.
- More than most things, children need rules. So many parents believe if they are apathetic and give their children everything, they’re doing it right. The thing is, children need boundaries to lean on, to know that you are going to love them. Children need to learn the difference between right and wrong, which is why firm correction is a must. Set the example for your children, and you will be able to apply consistency across the board. Children learn from you, so give them a moral code, and they’ll use it through life.
- Parents are responsible for their children and their health. This means that if your children are overweight, and your doctor drop-in service has ruled out anything medical, then you need to look at their home life. Give your children the education that they need for a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Go for long walks together and get to know a new neighborhood. You won’t ever regret instilling healthy habits in your kids.