Key abilities parents' advisors believe children should acquire often but frequently overlook:
In today's uncertain world, teaching children to be self-sufficient is more important than ever. Experts agree that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's ability to navigate life independently. Here are eight overlooked parenting skills recommended for raising children who can thrive in an uncertain world.
- Empowering Children Empowering children means helping them face uncomfortable emotions such as loss, grief, and forgiveness. Parents should transition from protecting to empowering children, viewing these situations as opportunities for growth rather than situations to avoid.
- Self-Sufficiency Recognizing and encouraging children’s desire and capacity to do things for themselves is crucial. Parents should foster independence by teaching and allowing children to handle tasks within their capability, promoting lifelong self-reliance.
- Responsive Caregiving Attending promptly and empathetically to a child’s verbal and nonverbal cues fosters secure attachment and boosts cognitive, language, and social development.
- Setting Clear Boundaries Parents should communicate expectations, consequences, and rewards consistently. This clarity creates a safe and structured environment where children understand their responsibilities and limits.
- Recognizing and Celebrating Achievements Acknowledging even small successes boosts children’s self-esteem, motivation, and positive attitudes toward challenges. This support nurtures a growth mindset and encourages engagement.
- Developing Strong Attachments and Bonds Forming a deep, trusting relationship by spending quality time through work and play helps children feel safe, loved, and understood, which is foundational for resilience in uncertain environments.
- Focusing on One’s Sphere of Control Teaching children (and modeling for them) to focus energy on aspects they can control, like routines and self-care, while reducing stress over uncontrollables, supports emotional regulation and empowerment.
- Practicing Self-Compassion Encouraging parents themselves to adopt self-compassion reduces parental stress and models resilience and well-being for children, fostering a healthier parent-child dynamic and better coping strategies for all.
Effective implementation strategies include engaging in open discussions about feelings and challenges, observing children's cues for independence, creating routines that build trust and safety, and helping children identify what they can influence. These skills together build a foundation that helps children adapt, build resilience, and thrive amid life's uncertainties.
Family therapists Caroline Maguire and Lianne Avila caution that parents should accept their child's limitations to help them learn, grow, and develop into a healthy, happy individual. Creating opportunities for children to make choices of their own can help them feel empowered and build confidence. Phrases like "I can sense you're getting upset" or "It sounds like you're hurt" can help children express their emotions without conveying judgment or frustration. Joanna Schroeder, parenting expert and author of "How To Talk To Your Boys," emphasizes the importance of teaching children to talk about their feelings.
- To foster a healthy and happy family, it's crucial for parents to accept their child's limitations and create opportunities for them to make choices, thereby encouraging empowerment and confidence.
- Integrating spirituality into family stories can provide guidance, teach values, and foster a sense of belonging, enriching the overall growth and development of children.
- Parents can instill a love for learning by engaging in educational activities and discussions, encouraging their children's curiosity and appetite for knowledge in areas such as science, health-and-wellness, and education-and-self-development.4.Shareing family stories that celebrate achievements, both big and small, builds a strong foundation of self-esteem and a positive attitude towards challenges, ensuring that children are ready to face the uncertainties of the world with resilience.
- Encouraging children to explore their zodiac signs can be an engaging method of teaching them about personal traits, complementing their personal growth and self-awareness while fostering a sense of individuality.
