Giving Your Kids a Good Future

All parents have a universal wish to give their children the best possible future. There are many ways to achieve this goal, all based on four basic cornerstones:  Education, Finance, Spiritual/Moral, and Loving/Accepting home.  The future you build will be as different as the individuals and children involved.

Education

In today’s fast paced technological society, education is critical to success.  Choosing good schools for your children is worth your investment in time.  In addition, continue to provide educational opportunities in the home and the greater community.

Finance

The value of establishing a savings account for your child at a young age teaches your child about saving and delayed gratification.  In addition, saving for your child’s education gives the child a step-up, particularly if they can finish college without debt.

Spiritual/Moral

The essence of a bright future is the moral and spiritual values your child carries into the world. Not only will it shine through the character of your child, but it will sustain the child in times of difficulty.

Loving/Accepting Home


Children learn about relationships by imitating the relationships they see modeled. Of course, the relationship they see the closest is the relationship between their parents.  Ideally both parents live in the home with the child and treat each other with love and civility. However, not all marriages suceed, and when they don’t, the way you continue to treat each other has a lasting effect on your child’s self-worth.

Because of the effect of relationships on children in their care, many single parents use online dating sites like Parship Ireland. Here they find a wider pool of possible partners to choose from. In addition, online dating site give you a chance to talk to many people before deciding to meet anyone. Such sites also offer a compatibility test which helps narrow down the  acceptable possibilities.

There is no fail-safe formula for building a good future for your child. Life, like the weather, is unpredictable.  However, building a future on a good foundation is a great way to weather even the toughest of life’s storms.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

Family Meetings: Essential Parenting

Time is a novel notion — its hours often sought but never found, its seconds lost to busy afternoons. There are too many things to do and too few moments to achieve them all. Sacrifices therefore must be made. All duties must be examined, prioritized and rearranged; and the once valued family meeting is banished to the end of your long list of obligations. It’s deemed unessential and you choose to replace it with far more pressing matters.

This is a mistake, however — and one that must be corrected.

The concept of the family meeting is a familiar one: it’s meant to inspire communication, to allow discussions to occur in a safe environment. Too often is it refused, however. Parents believe that their time should be devoted to other activities — especially when their children present no obvious problems.

It’s all too common, though, for youths to shield their issues. Without the proper platform they may assume that they simply can’t: believing that their parents don’t wish to communicate. It’s estimated that over 70 percent of children who don’t speak regularly with their families (detailing important concerns) become involved with unwanted behaviors — such as drinking, substance abuse and more.

Family meetings are therefore essential.

Each week should offer the opportunity for children and parents to share information. These events should be scheduled for specific times (which will stimulate a sense of normalcy) and they should not be dismissed. Creating a routine will help youths feel secure with voicing their opinions and will allow the process to be successful.

A family meeting is vital. Time will simply have to be found to accommodate it.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: General, Parenting Tagged With: , ,