Top 7 things to avoid when your kids are around
Parenting is bliss but is often challenging for a majority of us. Do you know why? Being parents we create our own expectations with our kids without even knowing their potential. We want them to achieve heights, to stay healthy, and to be good at whatever they pick up but we often forget that instead of pressuring them to do what we want, it is important to show them do what is important. Kids are good at observing and they usually do what they see, thus apart from monitoring what our kids do it is equally important to keep a check on how we behave in front of them!
Here are things to avoid when you are with your kids. Let’s read…
Spending too much time on screen
Most of the parents are concerned about their kids spending more time on screen and want to reduce this time as much as possible. However, we forget that kids are good at observing they learn more by observing, therefore instead of teaching them set an example for them. Reduce your own screen time, especially when you are with your kids. Telling them to stop watching the screen repeatedly is not a solution to the problem.
Criticizing your child’s physical appearance
Criticizing your kid’s physical appearance can adversely affect your child’s personality. You might find it common as whenever a child makes a mistake or is not good at something we start criticizing but that is not justified. In order to make your child smart and active, you need to work hard and guide them in achieving their goals. Criticizing and name calling is not the right thing to make them learn or improve instead this will make your child feel offended and he/she might get de-motivated.
Bad mouthing or gossiping about other’s
Gossiping has become a ritual of social gatherings however we often forget to watch out for our words and expressions while gossiping especially in front of our kids. Try to avoid such conversations in front of your kids as kids are sensitive and they might get influenced without understanding the depth of the conversation. They might just react negatively or may reveal the information in front of others which is surely something you might not be comfortable in.
Sharing negative statements to your kids
The most common incident to look upon is when your kids have messed up their room after playing. You might be busy in your routine and might find it challenging to spare additional time to clean up the mess, but the reality is scolding your child or passing negative comments such as “you are good for nothing” are a big NO. Sharing negative comments with your kids will distract them from taking ownership and discouraging them to do their tasks on their own.
Communicating sarcasm in words or in gestures
Being sarcastic is not a good thing to do with your kids. Kids are innocent enough and they do not understand sarcasm. What they understand is a direct conversation and they pick word-to-word information. For a kid good is good and bad is bad, they do not understand manipulations. So while communicating with kids doesn’t be sarcastic rather conveys what is to be said but that too with the right approach.
Being aggressive with your partner
Being aggressive with your partner at times is something obvious, however; having a heated argument of fighting when your kids are around is not acceptable. As partners, you might have differences of opinion and might have clashes around but fighting in front of your kids is not a sign of good parenting. Fight, argue and resolve but not when your kids are around, keep these things behind closed doors.
Comparing your kids with others
Comparison is not good in any sense and especially when it comes to dealing with kids it’s a big NO. When you compare your kid’s personality, knowledge, scores, and extracurricular activities with their peers this hurts their self-confidence and makes them feel low and inferior. You might have certain expectations with your kids but comparing them with others will only make them lose their interest even in the tasks they have loved to do and they might avoid participating.
