18 Feb 2008 04:53:04 | Paul M. Jerard Jr.
At times, everyone feels a little depressed about life, and
children are no exception. Just like you, children often
experience "the same old grind." They get up for school, day
care, or camp to travel the same road each weekday. Some
children even look forward to weekends in the same way their
parents do.
How can you put some excitement into life and teach your child
to be successful? Sometimes, parents have to be spontaneous and
break the routine up a bit for "family time." Make it a point to
eat together and spend quality time doing new things.
Never say negative things about your life or how boring life is
for you. Children can really tune into this, and they always
copy their parents. They reflect negative thinking and can hold
themselves back by worrying about the risk of failure, just like
an adult. Instead, teach them about the endless opportunities
that arise in every day life.
Life is full of challenges, and your child has to learn to
overcome the fear of failure. This is where you come in - by
measuring your child's progress. You should always point toward
his, or her, past successes for positive reinforcement.
Remember the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare?" Teach your
child that slow and steady always finishes the race. As an
adult, you know that finishing anything is a "bench mark" along
the road to progress. A child will give up on a challenge, when
they are too far out of their "comfort zone."
Giving up is a last resort. For example: Look down the road at
the many challenges your child will face in college, military
service, or at work. You want to establish a "track record" of
success now.
Even when challenges and problems have your child in a state of
fear, you are obligated to encourage your child to move forward
and do their "personal best." Every successful person has had to
face their own fear, in order to see the endless daily
opportunities that life has to offer.
Teach your child that life is full of excitement - by making the
choices of exploring and trying new things, as long as they are
reasonably safe activities. The experience of learning is more
important than the chance of failure.
The end result will be that your child has positive memories of
accomplishment, and the knowledge that he or she can always
count on you.
About Author :
Paul Jerard, is a co-owner/director of Yoga teacher training at
Aura Wellness Center. He has been a certified Master Yoga
teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts.
He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults,
and seniors. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right
for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career
as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
