Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : April 25, 2018 2:39 PM IST
May 11 is Mother's Day.
Mothers do not need any crash course in mothering. Neither can anyone teach them how to be a great mother. It just comes naturally to them. While we go on an overdrive to thank them on Mother's Day, without being judgemental here are some few things that we thought every mother should know and do for their child to help them blossom into a good human being.
Teach time management
Many mothers think that it's fine to have extended playtime, mealtime or a forced extended study time. But that is not a healthy practice for any of the above activities. You need to tell your baby that sticking to the given timeframe and finishing tasks at hand are of prime importance and the basis of a healthy lifestyle. But don't go crazy with rules, a little tantrum and lazy hours are also needed, but what you should be watchful of is that you don't cross the line. Setting time limits early in life will help your baby learn the rules of time management, prioritise right and get going in life with ease.
Cultivate an interest
And this doesn't mean just enrolling your child for a summer camp, a swimming class or an art class and pay for the sessions. Take active interest in your child's extracurricular activities. Remember what you think is an important skill to learn might not be of any interest to your child. Don't force them to follow gender stereotypes. It's quite feasible that your son dislikes football and would rather learn origami, while your daughter prefers horse riding to cooking. Whatever their choice, don't restrict the options. Spend some time with your kid trying to learn and see things through their eyes. Your support and appreciation goes a long way in building self-confidence and motivation. Later, when life throws hurdles they just know how to dodge them and move ahead. Your child would not need false appreciation from others to keep going because by then they know that taking a different route is not bad at all.
Teach them to appreciate nature
This is difficult to do in today's digital world. You can virtually see everything on your iPads, tablets or a computer screen but a cat, dog or a waterfall on a pixilated screen just doesn't compare to the real thing. Take your baby out and introduce her to nature. Travel a lot, never mind if your baby is two months or twenty years. Go to places where the value and beauty of nature is appreciated. Go for nature trails, parks or trekking when your child is old enough. There are numerous studies that would tell you the kind of impact travel has on our brain and being. You have a job to instil the same habit in your kid. Take a break from your tech- dominated life and take a stroll on the beach with your kid, feed the birds, plant trees, go for a cleaning drive and other such activies. It would be soul satisfying for you and soul-nourishing for your little one.
Teach them to say sorry and thank you
From a very early age teach your baby the importance and significance of these two words. Saying sorry and thank you when it is apt is what will define your child's nature as a good human being. Other mannerism would just fall in place if once your child knows when to thank and seek forgiveness outside the comfort zone. These two little words go a long way in establishing your child's social quotient too.
Take failure in their stride
While you give a pat, hug, kiss and keep encouraging your child for all those small little achievements don't forget that you aren't there to just teach your child to win every single time in life. Tell your child that failure is a part and parcel of life. Do this by actions. Don't put up a grumpy face or slump your shoulders if your child's grades slips or she fails to win a competition. Instead celebrate the efforts that went into it. Make your child's favourite dish, go and have an ice-cream, a healthy treat or whatever you can do to make your kid feel happy again. Help your child to bounce back from failure and to start preparing all over again for the next venture on a clean slate. So that tomorrow when you aren't around and she stumbles, getting back on her feet would just come naturally.
Respect for self and others
To inculcate this probably you have to work on yourself first, because your child will learn only by example, looking at you. If you are of a submissive kind or an aggressive brat your child probably will be picking up those traits from you. Instead correct yourself first, be respectful and polite to your elders, peers and everyone. Have a positive outlook towards life and don't be negative in your ideas and opinions. Put your foot down when it is needed. Talking right to guard your self-respect is important as it teaches your child that no matter what, nothing in this world can erode your soul and being, while you are on the right side of things. Also tell him that it's sometimes okay to be at the receiving end when someone just needs to vent out pent-up emotions, and ends up choosing you. But there is a way to draw the line.
Be hygiene conscious
You know the time you take to dress up your child, tidy the hair, iron the clothes, trim the nails, clean the face, and other stuff to keep your little one healthy and happy. They are ways of instilling good hygiene habits, because this stays till the end. Unkempt look at times can be trendy but one needs to know how to carry it well. Still it is best to stick to the basics be clean and feel good and confident. A good and charming personality needs these basic traits.
Make your child street smart
Well many might not agree to this but in today's day and age this is of prime importance. We know that the world out there isn't a good place for the innocents anymore. Teach your child how to dodge the bad and embrace the good. There are plenty of story books for children which come with lot of morals, e.g., The Little Red Riding Hood, when you read it to your child make them understand why it is not good to provide strangers with personal details, also start with teaching about good and bad touch, tell your child why it is important to count every single penny while taking change from the shopkeeper. These little things will not only make her smart and alert but help to be cautious and also caring towards people and the society at large.
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