Helping children grow up - The goal in raising children is to help prepare them for adult life.
Think about the sort of people that you most admire in life, what are their qualities? Are they reliable and do what they have agreed to do? Are they considerate to others? Do they know their own minds? Are they enthusiastic and energetic? Are they willing to give things a go and able to cope if things go wrong? Are they able to deal with life's stresses and strains? Are all of these qualities the ones you would like your children to have growing up into adulthood? If so, you can help your children - you are their best educators!
The need to help our children become competent and feel capable is obvious, but we do tend to lose sight of this in the every day rush. We become so used to doing everything for babies that we forget to gradually step back as they get older and give them the support to give it a go themselves. Our job as parents is to help them learn what they need to know so they can run their own lives by the time they are adults.
When children are young, we need to exercise control over them to keep them safe. As they grow, we need to empower them to 'have a go', encouraging them to take on new tasks and responsibilities that will help to make them confident and independent. This is not always easy but we do need to allow our children to make mistakes, to be forgetful or careless or lazy (as long as they are not in danger) to experience the consequences.
So, mums, dads, aunts, uncles, carers, in fact everyone who has anything to do with children growing up, let them have a go at helping with the chores, laying the table, getting themselves dressed, pouring their own cereal and milk, making their own bed, the list is endless. It may take a bit of practice but practice makes perfect, and without practice, they will never learn. If it isn't quite how you like it, try not to complain, if you do they will just give up trying!
And finally, our positive thought for the week:
There are no negatives in life, only challenges to overcome.
If you have a parenting concern, you can contact Mrs Easty via the school office - admin@burlingtoni.org.uk