As the famous African adage goes, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”
Parenting is a mammoth job that requires tremendous amount of time, love and responsibilities. Every parent is a teacher to their child, thus good and proper parenting skills are essential in their overall development.
In essence, parents should have a clear idea of what they want to inculcate in their children. Bad parenting often has a negative impact on their children that may result in undesirable consequences.
Below are the 10 warning signs you see in your children that could be due to poor parenting skills:
1. Yelling & swearing
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If your children often scream and swear at the slightest thing, it may be due to the fact that they are just mimicking what you do too. A child’s behaviour is a reflection of his parents. So, make sure you are calm and use the correct choice of words when talking to your friends, relatives and of course your spouse. Monkey see monkey do!
2. Stressed and unmotivated
It is easy to spot a stressed child from their face and behaviour. In our highly competitive world, it is a norm for over-competitive parents to send their children to a plethora of tuition and enrichment classes just to get a two or three heads start.
Come on, can we just let every child have their happy, beautiful and memorable childhood? Every child is gifted with a certain type of intelligence. So, remember not to force something they don’t like down their throat. A happy kid is a Healthy kid!
3. Only want to eat at restaurants or places with air-con
Due to the sweltering weather in Singapore, children naturally prefer to eat at indoor cafes and restaurants. While it’s okay to do this once in a while, doing this too often could turn into a costly affair.
In this case, parents need to explain to their children that hawker food is equally yummy and easily accessible, plus more cost-effective than eating at cafes and restaurants.
Tell and show them how much money they can save so they can use their savings to fulfil their dreams when they grow up.
4. Always want to be carried around
If it has become a habit that your children always complain about being tired and need to be carried around, it is entirely your fault. Every parent should be firm and tell their kids, “You think I am not tired carrying you around. My arms and back ache like it will break anytime!” Let them know your point too and do not over-pamper them!
5. Do not want to do housework
This is a classic example of what children detest to do! A child simply just wants to play, play and play! It is a parent’s responsibility to teach their kids early that doing household chores is part of growing up and they should enjoy and embrace it.
To get some ideas on age-appropriate chores for kids, click this link.
6. Addicted to smartphone/tablets
This is the most worrying issue as it is very common to see a child’s attention fixed on the smartphone or tablets. Parents nowadays use electronic devices to entertain their children but it is of paramount importance that they should set a limit on the time usage before addiction kicks in.
Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to electronic devices may lead to sleep disorder and other health issues that are detrimental to children’s well-being.
So please remember to set house rules and control your children’s usage of electronic devices and spend more quality time with them.
7. Refuse to pack the toys after playing
If your child belongs to this category, it is wise to educate them the importance of clearing up after playing.
If they refuse to follow instructions and pack the toys, follow up with appropriate consequences.
8. Throw tantrums if they cannot get what they want
Children nowadays have many demands and they think money drops down from the sky. They want to buy everything they lay their eyes on and if you are consistently giving in to them, you are not teaching them the value of money and working hard for what you want.
9. No manners
A bad-mannered child will no get very far in life, no matter how educated or rich he is.
People often say that if a child behaves rudely, it is learnt from parents. As such, every parent should try their best to instil the right types of values and morals in their children. This is far more important than being rich and successful in life.
10. Tell lies
Parents should never lie to their children as children trust their parents wholeheartedly and are their reliable source of information. A child would feel hurt or confused if they find out their parents are lying or hiding something from them and there is a high chance they will, in turn, follow suit too. Trust is a mutual thing and so just be frank and honest with your children.
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