Parenting

A relationship among parents and their children has no equals. It is perhaps one of life’s greatest achievements for a person to see his own children grow. In order to provide them a suitable future, you have to guide, nurture and educate them. But this is what all the parents in the world do. Then what sets the good parents apart from the rest? According to Swami Vivekananda, a plant cannot grow in a soil that is not suited for it. The same applies to children. They cannot learn to grow in an environment that is not suited to them. It is in the nature of a child to teach itself. However, a good parent can help the child to go forward in the way that suits it. The role of a parent in a child’s growth is not to help him in going ahead, but in removing the obstacles and hurdles that stand in its path. You can help the child in gaining strength and confidence to overcome these obstacles. You need to make the soil loose to let the knowledge come out. All the parents can do is to enclose a protective boundary around it. The rest is n up to the child. The knowledge which a child gains depends on its own nature. You cannot force the child to do things he is not capable of. Consider following the given steps if you seek a better relationship with your children

•	Praise your children both openly and secretly. This will give more confidence to the children and cultivate a feeling of proud in you.
•	Tell your children about values like integrity, honesty, self control and patience, and make it a point to set yourself as an example. Children often look up to their parents for role models.
•	Never let your children come in contact with drugs or alcohol. Make sure they never see you using it, although it is better if you quit as well.
•	Always show the children that they are the most important for you and show them the love that you have for them.
•	Make sure that you always have time for your children. You need to take time off your schedule and spend some time with them, both in quantity and quality.

Traditionally, it was the view that it’s the mother’s job to look after the children most of the time. However, times have changed now and fathers are giving strong competition to mothers in terms of taking care of their children. Spending time with your children is a very important part of your life that helps in strengthening of the bond between parents and children.