What children need most from parents?
1. Children need love and understanding
Children need unconditional love and acceptance. They need compassion – you love them irrespective of their short-comings. Children understand love in three ways: affection, affirmation, and attention. Affection includes hugs, touch, pat and kisses. You need to tell them how much you love them; also encourage and support them. You need to give them attention and listen to them with interest – that conveys they are important to you.
2. Children need counsel/guidance
Children need a nurturing environment where they get your guidance, direction, advice and wisdom.
3. Children need correction
Children need discipline and training for them to develop good family values and self-control. Correct them quickly, calmly (not in anger) and sparingly. When you punish, it generates resentment. The attitude behind punishment is anger; the attitude behind discipline is love. Correct kids looking at future (not at past).
4. Children need confidence
Be your kid’s cheerleader. Encourage them. Unpleasable parents produce insecure children. For every correction you give, give far more (5 to 10) positive strokes (recognition, praise etc.). This will keep them in high self-esteem and self-confidence. You need to cheer them with words such as “I know you can do it. I believe in you. You’re the best.”
5. Children need celebration & fun
Families ought to have fun! The home should be a place to play. Have fun with your kids! Enjoy them! Celebrate special days, their achievements. Create memorable experiences.
6. Children need challenges
Trust your kids with responsibility. Kids need challenges and experiences that stretch them, reveal their talents and develop responsibility. They may make mistakes and it is ok since they are growing and learning. You have to give up control as they grow; let them move from parent control in the early years to self-control in the middle years to God’s control over their lives.
7. Children need consistency
Children need consistency from their parents. As parents we need to be faithful to our promises and fair in our decisions. Inconsistent parents produce bitter children. There is no source of greater bitterness than broken promises. Objective should not be to become a perfect parent but to have a healthy family. To build a healthy strong family, it takes wisdom; take it from God’s Word.
Word for Meditations 