The moment your child is born and placed in your arms, you realize the happiness of that little creature is going to become your only wish in the world.
However, it’s not all about happiness. Your task as a parent will be to teach your children many things:
- Responsibility,
- Honesty,
- Hard-work, and
- Kindness.
Another equally important quality is raising your children to become strong and independent adults.
Let Them Let Learn About the World
When your child is near you, you will naturally do whatever you can to make them happy, comfortable and keep them safe. In this kind of environment they cannot really grow.
This doesn’t mean you should push them into something that will make them sad and miserable. Gently encourage them to explore the world around them.
This way they will learn more about themselves, about what they like and don’t like, what they love and hate, what they enjoy doing and what makes them feel sad.
Some parents are a bit reluctant to let their children go, but these experiences are beneficial for both parents and children. Gather up the courage and let them fly out of your nest if even for a short period of time.
Let Them Make New Friends
Once more, this is something you should let them learn by themselves. In early childhood you can arrange play dates, and introduce your children to the children of your friends and relatives, but as they grow they will make new friends and explore these new relationships.
When your child comes home from school one day and says, “Mom, I have a new friend”, you will know they are not afraid of forming relationships with other children.
That is a sign of real independence. Encourage them to invite their friends over, give them space, make them cookies and step away a bit.
Encourage Them to Learn
One of the most difficult tasks is probably motivating children to study. As they grow, they will study for all the wrong reasons: to pass the test and get good grades.
What can you do to motivate them to learn independently? The key is to start early, often even before the age of three and to take a different approach to school and studying.
World-famous Montessori approach to studying encourages children to explore the world and slowly learn about self-discipline and concentration. That kind of approach gently leads children through childhood and into maturity, showing them the only limits are the ones they themselves set and encourages them to continue to explore the world further.
Teach Them Responsibilities
It’s important to note this isn’t just about you telling them what responsibilities are; you have to show them how to be responsible.
Tell them about all the things you as parents are responsible of and show them how you do it: going to work, cooking, cleaning, making sure they are on time for their appointments, etc.
You should also give them certain responsibilities around the house depending on how old they are: feeding the pet and taking them to the vet, setting the table, helping with cooking and cleaning, going to the store and making the purchases…
This way, they will see how much you have confidence in their abilities and will become more confident in return.
Independence is important because an independent child will grow to be a responsible and independent adult who will be able to take good care of themselves and their own family.
They will know how to take care of themselves and to ask for help when they need it, and that is what those who truly are independent do.
As a parent, you should be proud to know your child is strong and independent.
Teach your kids to be courageous so they become adults who are unhindered by the boundaries of peer pressure and can be trusted to do what’s right in any circumstance. Click here to learn how.
Finally, an article that points out the importance of backing off a bit
Thanks James for your feedback. I don’t see very many benefits from being a helicopter parent especially if your goal is to raise your child to become an independent adult.
Gerardo