Ten Tips for Successful Parenting

At Vailankanni Public School (CBSE) we seek to transform lives- of your children and through your children yours. In doing so, we request your cooperation by wholeheartedly following these:

1. Maintain Brand Value: Do not criticize your child’s school in front of him. If you have any problem please contact the school at once. We are not perfect! By talking loose about the teacher/school you are inadvertently encouraging your child to disrespect, if not disobey her/his teacher/school. How can a child learn from a person whom (s)he disrespects.

2. Be Involved: Where your wealth is there your heart will be! You can easily find out where your heart is by checking the time you spend with your child. It may not necessarily mean teaching your child. If you can, please do it with pride. Mother is the fìrst teacher. Home is the child’s first school. The quality time a parent spends with his ward in the initial three years show off in the child’s performance when he formally joins the school. If you cannot help a child in her/his studies, we expect you to show that you are interested in what (s)he does.

3. Communicate with your child as if (s)he is an adult: Treat your child as an adult; and (s)he will behave as an adult. Respect her/him and do not bully or pamper her/him. Neither will help. Children are proficient in adult psychology!

4. Make her/him listen: Attention deficit is a malady of the present generation. It hampers learning throughout a child’s career. In order to overcome this, you can take time to narrate as many stories, anecdotes,  experiences, items in the newspapers to your child. We want your child to listen a lot. The child learns to listen first and (s)he listens to learn throughout life.

5. Let your child enjoy the childhood: Change your attitude towards play. Play is the most important item in child’s growth and development. It has lot of educational value and character building. However, please ensure that your child is in the right company. Be observant to any deviant behaviour.

6. Have at least a meal together with ALL family members: Do not let your house become a hotel or restaurant. Let your meal time be a time of fellowship and sharing. Listen to your child as (s)he narrates the events in the school. It will help you to understand his world and her/his anxieties before they become mountains. Please contact school immediately if you find anything abnormal.

7. Understand the requirements of the school: Do not go overboard in helping your child. He gets dependent. We are making leaders here and not passengers. Do not pass comments or judgments without hearing the case properly. Do not trust the version of your child unilaterally. Give your child’s teacher a fair chance. She is your friend and partner in moulding the child. Lot of your time, your child’s time and that of the teacher’s can be saved if you learn to take a dispassionate view of the case.

8. Get your child involved in household chores: We want your child, especially son, to learn dignity of labour and gender sensitivity. The effective strategy is to give your child a role in running your home.  Sweeping/mopping the floor, washing clothes, utensils etc. will give him satisfaction that he is helping parents as also making her/him independent when he grows up and has to be alone and far from you. He will thank you for this important quality which many parents miss because of their misplaced notions.

9. Do not insulate your child from reality: Look for discreet opportunities to share with her/him your family difficulties —especially financial so that your child learns how you are working hard to give him a good future. One day, he will be thankful to you for doing so.

10. Let your child face tough life: Soldiers are not trained on soft beds. Eagle doesn’t teach its offspring by keeping them under its wings forever! Leaders are groomed through most difficult rigours of life. Many parents make the mistake of trying to give their children the best. In the process they make them addicted to certain things which they take for granted. The children tend to complain and are not grateful. Let your child learn to face trouble, inconvenience, failure, lack, sometimes hunger, thirst and getting ‘no’ to at least some of her/his requests. Then (s)he will start appreciating what is given. He will not be selfish and self-centred.