Children need encouragement too
June 3rd, 2009 by kike
Has it ever occurred to you that your children need encouragement? Children sometimes feel frustrated and downcast and as parents, we need to encourage them. They not only need encouragement when they are discouraged but when they need to move to the next stage of their life.
One main point I want to emphasise is that children respond to encouragement quite differently from adults. A child needs constant assurance from their parents and when this is not there, their heart sinks. How do you encourage your child who hardly does well in school? When your child scores 6 out of 10 in maths do you scold him or her for getting only 6 marks or do you appreciate the fact that at least he or she was sure of 6 questions out of 10?
What I want us to appreciate in our children is the effort they put into their work or anything they set out to do. It does not matter if that child is a toddler or a teenager, they all need encouragement. Always acknowledge their effort no matter how small. This boosts their confidence and gives them the courage to keep trying. Many parents do not encourage their children and this has a negative impact on them later in life. There are many ways you can encourage your children depending on the circumstance or situation.
1. Show support for your children. When they are involved in any school be there to show your support. It might be a nativity play, debate or sport, be there to cheer them up. This is a confidence booster.
2. When your children raise any sort of concern, always reassure them that all will be fine. Children’s imagination can sometimes run wild. There is nothing wrong in telling them about a nasty experience you had and how you got out of it. They will be grateful for your understanding and your sharing with them your experience. Many times we play down our children’s concerns by ignoring them. Let them know you understand their fears.
3. Praise any effort or attempts made. I have stated this above but I need to reiterate its importance. Focus on the effort and not the mistakes. when you have praised the effort you can then correct the mistake. This is more encouraging.
4. Show physical affection and let your children know they are loved. As a parent, when last did you hug or kiss your child? What ways do you show affection? I want to encourage you to interact more often with them. Let there be times you sit together as a family over matters in the house. Involving Children in family matters is very encouraging.
5. Speak kindly to your child. No matter how badly a child has behaved using unkind words can hurt that child’s spirit. We need to understand that words are powerful. They are able to build and destroy. Choose to build your children up by correcting them using the right choice of words.
6. Pray for your children. When you say to your children that you are praying for them, be sure to be greeted with a smile. This is one way they can tell that you actually care for them.
There are so many ways to encourage our children but I have just managed to give a few tips. God has given us these children to care, nurture and encourage in fulfilling His plan for their lives. Why not choose to encourage your children today. I can assure you that when they grow up to be parents themselves, they would do the same for their own children. This is because they have had a first hand experience of encouragement from their parents. Take care
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11
