Let the Children be their Own Version...

By Ruth Lau

Honestly I could become who I am today because my own parents and a couple of husband and wife had the strong believe towards me. Their good role model created big impact in my adulthood life. They always encourage me be who I am and not compete with other. From learning how to do house chores, and be kind and go extra miles for others, my parent have instilled good ethics that has helped carry me into my adulthood.

Parents are not only caretakers, but they are instrumental in the development of their child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being by accepting them as an UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL.

Oftentimes, we as individuals don’t see the significance that parents (such as yourself) can play in helping develop children at this young age so we entrusted this responsibilities to their teacher or nanny.

Remember that all children is different, to accepting your child as a unique and glorious child are essential above their weakness or shortcoming. Each child has their purpose and can live out their Own Version of them in this life be it whether they are special need child or not. I strongly believe each child can impact all those around them with their parent love and guidance.

There is a quote by Julie Lythcott-Haims ‘ We should stop thinking of our child as bonsai trees that we carefully prune and begin thinking of them as wildflowers of unknown genus and species that will reveal their unique and glorious beauty.

Embrace the Child you got

We all have big dreams for our child, but it’s important to recognize every child is unique with their own ambitions, desires, and goals. Embracing the child you’ve got means trying our best to silence what we think (and more often, what society tells us) is the definition of success. It means letting go of comparisons to the child next door, your best friend’s daughter or even the child you imagine your son to be.

Recognize that your child is a unique child and there is only one version of your child in this world. No one can be like your child and your child cannot be like anyone else.

Sit Back and Observe

It can be tempting to send your child for dancing class because you had ambition to become a dancing teacher or to get your children involved in music class because your friend is sending her children for the class. But it’s more important to know what our children interested in and gravitate towards naturally.

For example:-

Does your son like to build castle with blocks or he is more likely to be found with his head in a book?

As a parent we should be able to understand our children better than anyone else if we pay enough attention and time to observe their daily lives. After making these observations, seek out supplies or material that can help your child to explore their interest further. It might also make sense to sign up your child up for a class. Talk to your child about the classes available and ask their opinion and go for a trial class for your children to understand what it is all about. Children learn best when they are HAPPY. So do not force them to the class that we like but respect the child as a person.

Set Them Free

Parent can feel pressure to load up kids’ scheduled with multiple classes and practices to see which one sticks. But I think one of the best ways for kids to discover what they love is to have the freedom and time to simply explore.

It’s through exploration that children will stumble upon their interests. While structure activities have their place, giving children ample downtime will let them develop a sense of wonder – to think about what is it they’re most interested in when it’s up to them to decide.

Unstructured play benefits kids in many ways beyond just discovering what they enjoy doing. It also prepared them to face their adulthood in future.

Of course there will be trials and tribulations when parenting your children, but understanding that in providing quality time is essential in developing your child’s developmental needs and well-being is important. I can truly say that I learned valuable lessons from the way my parents raised me, and your children are learning from you. They taught me that it isn’t in how you were raised, but what you learned from it that counts – love, respect and accepting them as they are. I learned that they may have made some mistakes, but how I learned to adjust and continue to fill my life with love has been monumental in who I am today.

Parents out there -

“You are the person who revealing the own version of your child”