Small things for better future

In my previous article, I talked about rewarding the child. Today I am here to talk about teaching your kid small things that help them for better future. Small habits in the kid helps him in molding a better future.  Some of these habits include:

• Arranging Books: A kid should have habit of arranging his books according to the time-table on his own. These will help him to learn the value of arranging things and moreover, he will not bother you for the books.

• Arranging Clothes: I believe mother should never arrange clothes in the kid’s cupboard. Instead she should just fold the clothes and keep the pile of his clothes in his room. Let him arrange the clothes in his cupboard on his own. This will make him bit responsible, give him freedom to keep the clothes the way he wishes and moreover, if he misplaces any cloth, he would not yell at you that where you kept that t-shirt etc. Kid will feel independence and boost confidence.

• Keep his things in place: Indian moms are very typical especially for male kid. They won’t allow their male kid to do any work and in some cases, this is the case with girls too. Mom should make the kid habituated with keeping his things at place like uniform in hanger or at the laundry, shoes in the shoe rack, shocks at its places, bag at place. This will help kid in becoming self disciplined. This will be helpful to both the kid and mommy. Kid will learns self discipline and mummy will be less stressed at seeing the home less messy. It’s their contribution in making the house clean.

• Cooking: I believe, every kid whether girl or boy should start learning to cook. I know some of the eyebrows will be raised at reading this, but yes cooking to some extent only for themselves. Like how to on the gas stove, making things like maggi and tea. I don’t mean full course meal but at least something so that they can feed themselves when the mom is late from work. They don’t need to stay hungry. This has other advantage that starting from tea, coffee, maggi or omlet, the kid when becomes teenager, will develop some interest in cooking, cook better and yes will help them with hostel days. I also insist mothers that when they cook something special or some delicacy, involve your kid in it. Let him help you out and be himself involved in preparation. We don’t intend him to cook that delicacy, but just he will feel happy that he contributed something. There is one more advantage, you will get some quality time with kid and you can have fun or talk important things, or you can get close to child and listen his problems. It will contribute something in making your bonding strong with the kid.

• Study: Don’t nag your kid constantly for home work or studies. Let him be responsible for these things on his own. You can sit with the kid and help him in studying only when he asks for. Or if you wish you can teach the kid but only after he sits for study. Let him call you that mom I’m ready now. Let’s study. If this happens, then the kid will study whole-heartedly. Let him decide when to study, when to play, when to go out and when to have dinner.

• Get Ready on Own: Every kid I believe should learn to get ready on their own except combing the hairs. I have seen number of moms helping the eight-ten year old kid in wearing the uniform. This is completely wrong. I have even seen some mom’s arranging all the things for kids and then the kid himself gets ready. This is not right practice. Girls will learn in future but this will make the boys, dependent husbands in future who will keep on asking for things like where is my towel, shirts, wallet everything to their wife.

These are small things that kid of seven-twelve years old can easily do within maximum thirty minutes. This daily practice of not more than thirty minutes make them a better person and you a stress free mom. These will be healthy for both mom and kid. I have seen many moms complaining that they have to do so and so thing for their teenage child, about work load that they face at home etc. but its of no use as their kid is not taught these practices from childhood. I believe those moms don’t have the right to complain as they are questioning their own parenting.  I believe if your kid does these things, you are a lucky mom.