Parenting: Let the children grow with their passion.

The moment we decided to embark the parenting voyage, many potential parents starts to develop a set of hopes, dreams and even plans for the new little life. Many believe in giving the best, best education, best living environment and a set of what they believe to be the best skills, some of which parents themselves had been deprived during their childhood. Such as lessons in music, dances and the list goes on.

As parents, frequently we hope our off spring could fulfill our dreams, achieve the skills that we were not given a chance to build during our childhood, or that dream career that we were not able to fulfill for whatever reasons. However, how many of us ever stopped to ponder, are these what our children desire?

 

The New Age Parenting:

In the new age parenting, pairs of parents are rushing their kids from one enrichment class to another, from music to dancing to abacus lessons over the weekends and evenings on weekdays. Many believe that the children are enjoying the lessons and are benefiting from the processes. However, are the children really enjoying  childhood?

I came across a book on family psychology recently by James A. Powell, and one of the question raised was "Why have children?" Many response seem to reflect a perception that children is viewed more as a possession. We need to constantly remind ourselves that children exist as an individual, they possess unique traits, dreams and desires, and as parents we need to learn to respect their individual needs as they grow and surfaces.

 

Alternative approach:

Perhaps an alternative perspective could be adopted where we nurture a conducive environment for our kids to realize their true passion, and further help them to create the building blocks helping them grow. This could also be achieved with constant parent's participation and guidance, in replacement of  outsourced professional help. For example, a regular family picnic or in house art and craft session, family sports meet or a sing along session together.