HOW DO WE RAISE GOLD MEDALISTS?

Obviously I do not feel we should raise a child to be a gold medalist but how do we raise our children in a manner that they have a sense of commitment and direction in their life. I see so many teenagers that have no hopes and dreams. They have no interests that they pursue. But worse I see so many young adults that don't work, do not go to college or are in college but have no idea what they are good at or what they might be interested in pursuing. I watching this as often as I do I think it relates back to guiding our teen into becoming good decision makers. Too often they have parents that are afraid to allow them to make their own decisions. Parents are afraid to allow them to learn by their mistakes or even to own their successes. They often have what Foster Cline called helicopter parents that control the decisions their teen makes and are afraid to turn thing over to them. These young adults have no drive of their own, are fearful they will let their parents down, are afraid they will fail, are afraid they will make the wrong decision (like there is only one right decision) among other things. As parents we should encourage our teens to try new things. We should celebrate success with them and be a good listener when they are unhappy with how a decision has worked out. We should tell them often that we believe in them. We should restrain ourselves from pushing them into a direction we think would be best for them. As parents it is difficult to watch them be unhappy or for things to not work out well. But the sooner we encourage the less the impact. Be brave enough to allow your child to fail.  Sherri

Comments

[replica Louis Vuitton handbags]

thanks for sharing this article