Need of the hour -16

Need of the hour -16

TREAT KIDS AS ELDERS, FRIENDS OR GROWN UPS

-J.P.Bharathi

We are all stuck in the worst ever situation of pandemic. This is the time we need to think wisely and try and see if we can change our mindsets towards everything in life. Adverse situations are learning times….

Ask any child what is your age! They will be very happy to declare their age and add two more years to their original age. Measure their height, they will be proud to lift their feet and show they are taller than what they actually are.  Now! Talk to them in baby language or tone, they give you a weird look.

All this proves to us that children don’t like to be treated as kids. They want to grow up fast. 

So, this is the right age to treat them as equals, give them their responsibility and come to agreement points with them. 

A child responsible at a very young age becomes an asset to the family and society. 

They will not fight on trivial matters and will never enter into the private space of others. 

Let the child enter into agreement points and learn to do various jobs like,

1. Planning their work- If the child is allowed to plan the day’s work, they will be wise enough to accept which work is more important and which is less important. They will stop being unreasonable. They will also know the importance of resources and value of time. 
2. Answering phone calls- We are living in an era of communication. Every child is more than smart to answer calls. Just observe if they are able to communicate efficiently! There lies the problem. Children are not trained to talk with courtesies. This is where the parent has to counsel and give them required guidance as to how they should talk to friends, peer group, elders and parents. Occasionally, let children answer the phone calls.  They should be taught to remember the dialogues, communicate and to convey the message properly. With little guidance, Children can be very decent while talking. They do not understand double meanings and they can also help people to talk decently. In fact, a child is a father of the man. So he can help everyone to limit their phone calls which run into long hours.
3. Deciding what to cook for the day- If children are told what healthy food is and what is junk food, they select healthy food. When they decide the menu, they do not fuss at the dining table. Instead of elders convincing them, they convince themselves. This way, they are sure to feel healthy as they know the importance of diet and focus on their food. 
4. Discussing Day to day expenses- If kids know the value of money, they will never spend on unwanted things. At times, it is important to tell them how difficult it is to earn money. They will be learning the right way of spending and very easily understand addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and profit and loss. Simply, the essence of maths is learnt with proper knowledge and understanding. 
5. Right and wrong- Teach them what is right and wrong. Kids learn it for their life time. They will never litter, steal, tell lies, tease or cheat anyone. 

Kids do have perfect memory power, grasping skills, curiosity and will to do and take risks. They like to have a decent dialogue, appreciation and expect that they should be trusted. 

This is quite common with all the kids. In fact, a child’s education starts from his birth. We will be too late, if we start teaching them as they enter the schools. They should be moulded and guided as infants. With proper reasoning and explanation, a child will turn to be a best child, an excellent youth and a responsible citizen. 

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