Leading your kids by being great role models

As I wake up every morning, I implore that I dont want to see myself lost and ask myself Am I doing justice to my son? or Is my child on the right track? or Am I a guiding spirit to my child? Also when he grows up, I await to look back the growing period graciously and affirm that I did do my best by leading him in every steps of his life !his makes me ponder on how I could strive hard by being a role model to my child As we are living in a fast"moving technological era, this is where every parents shoes pinches as each parent has to keep himself abreast via learning, reading and keeping updated with technology so as to understand our children more and more so as to lead them to the right track !o understand our children better, let us reflect back on a childs psychological health and growth period which can be briefly highlighted as follows# According to $r %aria %ontessori, we as parents and educators must understand that childs development from birth until puberty occurs and can be studied in three stages $uring the first stage from & to ' years, the childs personality is formed !his stage has ( sub"phases i e from birth to ) years and then from ) to ' years !he & to ) years is a period of self"construction where the child constructs his movement, language, intelligence, memory, emotions and creative faculties unconsciously !he second phase from ) to ' years brings his unconscious knowledge to conscious level It is a period of consolidation and the child needs freedom to strengthen and merge his knowledge *es able to make progress in elements of culture, writing, reading and many more +y the end of ' years, the childs personality is completely developed !hese years from & to ' years, the child imitates and learns everything good or bad from the environment ,arents must conscientiously strive hard by being a great role model to the child as this is the most sensitive and crucial period of the childs development when the entire personality is formed It is also the right time to make the child independent and make him do almost all the work by himself with a slight assistance from parents or elders A parent must role model and guide positively And any negative image given to the child will hamper the childs personality wherein after ' years it might be too late to correct as the child has completely lost the sensitive years of development

!he second stage is from ' to -( years It is period of great stability !he child is calm, happy and self"assured It is also a period of mental development by strengthening of reasoning faculty and building up of artistic and creative skills !he )rd stage is from -( to -. years where there is tremendous change that it is e/uivalent to stage - of childs development !his stage has ( sub"phases 0rom -( to -1 years, theres transformation in both physical and mental development !his stage is the end of childhood and beginning of puberty !his period of childs life is a delicate one since many psychological characteristics are ac/uired in this phase *ere the child is prone to be disobedient and unyielding !he child also becomes conscious of himself !he second phase from -1 to -. years is the period of e2ploring more concentrated areas of interest in depth !here are also physical changes and the body reaches its full maturity It is a stage of development where independence accompanied by new social life and self"confidence comes in 3o, it makes us reali4e that from & to -. years, a child learns everything from his environment particularly ethics, behaviour, eti/uettes, self"discipline, responsibility, social skills, cultural, moral and spiritual values and so on from the background created by parents at home and school +esides, we are also living in an era where a child inculcates his personality also from the internet world as hes e2posed to the entire work via technology !his is e2actly where each parent must be vigilant and conscientiously lead the child by e2plaining the advantages and disadvantages of using internet in a more matured yet clear manner about cyber rules, dos and donts while accessing internet Also keeping track of the child to which site he visits like tracking through *istory button in 52plorer is an effective way of tracking the child Also child lock is also another handy tool ,roblems related to adolescence like adamancy, disobedience as in stage ) of childs physical and psychological is best dealt with the help of parents and counselors As the natures bond via breast feeding during infancy is so strong between the parent and child, a child can easily relate to the parents if parents pay a listening ear to the child ,arents must build effective and genuine relationship with the child by giving /uality as well as /uantity time 6ommunication barrier must be overcome by investing and spending /uality time and showing genuine interest in the childs welfare including academics, hobbies, childs friends circle, sports etc Any improper behaviour of a child if found can be corrected if it is appropriately dealt through the parents as they are the most important person in a childs life

7evertheless, a negative role modeling by parents having bad habits or beating up the child may make the child lose the trust with parents and may also hamper the childs growth and development and, even affect the childs psychological health %otivating and encouraging in every stage of life by being optimistic and perceiving the child in a positive way will boost the morale of the child and build in self"confidence and self"esteem As a child spends most of his life with his parents, it is the duty of every parent to lead by being role models in all spheres of life !his point is e/ually applicable in academics too A child with strong parental support and leadership fares far superior than a child without it 8hen parents regularly check and follow"up" issues pertaining to academics, the child is easily motivated in class no matter how intellectual or non"intellectual child may be %oreover, values of life and good habits must be inculcated and instilled in children by leading through e2amples *ere are some of the most important values and habits# - 9espect others# :ids who are given respect at home tend to give back the respect for others 9espect the values of your kids and give him the deserved respect as and when needed !he child will return back the respect to you and all others too ( *onesty ) 6ourage ; ,atience 1 *ard work is one of the great key that a child needs which could promise good results in all spheres of life ' 3ocial skills < ,oliteness . 0orgiveness = 3haring > caring -& ?ptimism -- !o be hygienic !o be healthy by eating healthy food like vegetables and fruits > other nutritious food *ealthy food habits must also be inculcated in the child as the child learns a lot from the surrounding around him 5very child must be trained well to appreciate and eat all types of fruits and vegetables 5ven here, parent leading by being a role model will definitely boost the morale of the child and help him cultivate healthy food habits -( If A caretaker who ignore the cry or pain of the child, the child also finds it difficult to e2perience the pain or hurt of animals

If you ignore the child by giving all attention to yourself, the child will be an attention seeker Also follow the rules of ethics, honesty, integrity etc so that child will learn these along with the ethics taught in school 3o, cultivating and building leadership /ualities will take the child long way making him morally sound, strong and upstanding citi4ens of our nation In other words, building leadership by being effective role"models is the foundation stone for the progress of the child and is the real harbinger of success for children who grow into adults in coming few years !hus parents must keep up their dedication, commitment and e2cellence to nurture and lead in all aspect whether it is social, cultural or moral values by being great role models even if it means giving up material possessions ?therwise the child might go astray or collapse in moral and cultural strength and reach a stage when things get out of hand and remain incorrigible