When asked what we want for our kids, most answers veer towards having children who succeed in life. While children don’t generally have a grasp on the world that they live in at a younger age, by modeling the right parenting habits, we can help adjust them in the right way to the world as they come of age.
A habit is an acquired behaviour pattern regularly followed until it becomes almost involuntary. This means that the individual tries as much as possible to intentionally inculcate such skills or values because of the goal set to achieve. Habits are practices. In a research conducted by Corley (2016), it was found that habits are contagious; according to him, the self-made millionaires he studied had at one point or another in growing up, picked a habit from their parents which gave them a leg up to successful living. Same was with almost all poor individuals studied; they picked up certain habits from their parents that contributed to a generational cycle of poverty, misery and discontent.
In summary, habits are transmittable; passed from parents to children; good or bad.
How then do we attain success in Parenting?
Research says:
- Have faith and instil this same faith in them: Children watch our every move and tend a lot to do as we do. They should be taught that they can do and be anything they put their minds to do or be. They should learn to create their lives to be either rich or poor.
- Wake up early. You will be amazed at how much of a difference waking up before your kids can make in preparing for your day. Whether you use that time for self-care or to get organized for the impending day, you will thank yourself later. Those few extra minutes of sleep may sound precious, but once you are woken up by screaming children, your morning spark will be a distant memory. Having some moments to yourself is very important as a parent.
- Responsibility: Here, refers to the roles each parent performs and for which he/she is held accountable. Whether there is a success recorded or a failure, such parents are ready to face the consequence.
- Stick to routines
- Talk and Listen to their children. Such parents see their children as very important sources of information. Regular conversations make the children feel secure and appreciated teaching them language, social skills and imaginative thinking.
- Allow their kids face challenges: Adversity they say, builds character, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to watch your child struggle. There will always be situations where your little one needs your help, there you can guide, but as he gets older, take a step back to see how he conquers the challenges he faces on his own.
- Spend some time away from their kids: Oh yes! As an aspiring successful parent, you should too. There should be hours or days or weeks off. Such time allows you re-evaluate, relax and plan.
- They attain high educational levels: According to a research conducted by Institute for Family Studies, Parental education is regularly identified as the single strongest predictor of a child’s academic success. Highly educated parents are more likely to read to their children, enhancing early literacy skills and building foundational content knowledge from an early age. When interacting with the children, educated parents pose more questions, employ a more complex vocabulary, and give fewer orders. The benefits of these formative interactions then begin to accumulate.
- Set goals and strive to achieve them: These goals are well defined and also written down. It is said that the discipline of writing something down is the first step towards making it happen.
- Teach values
There are also habits of unsuccessful parents. If you would like it posted, just let me know by simply sending me an email or commenting below!
