There are no doubts about the fact that, as parents, you want only the best for your kids. And to ensure that, parents often have to give the kids a nudge towards the right decision. Now, while that gentle nudge in the right direction is important at times, the difficult thing is to get hold of the delicate balance between encouraging them and pushing too hard.
We, at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, one of the leading CBSE affiliated schools in Gurgaon, understand that the push that parents give to their kids is often merely meant to encourage them, improve their grit and adaptability, and widen their worldview. However, pushing children has always received a bad reputation because being too hard on them might add to their anxiety and increase their resentments. But yes, at the same time, some amount of parental push is also necessary for shaping the character and skills of the kids and aiding in their development.
This takes us to a crucial question – How much parental push is required, and how to avoid going over the board? Let’s discuss this in detail today to give you more clarity about this matter.
Why do kids need a gentle push from their parents?
As we mentioned before, the parental push is indeed necessary for the young minds, and that’s for all the reasons mentioned below:
- Taking the kids out of their comfort zone is essential:
The simple truth is that pushing the kids is more about taking them out of their comfort zone and pushing that zone further away to challenge them and prepare them up for better in life. The ability to tolerate discomfort is a necessary life skill and a trait that can make the kids grow into resilient individuals.
- Kids gain from the experience & know-how of their parents:
It often becomes necessary for the parents to push the kids based on their own judgment of things. And the main purpose of the parents in doing so is to make the apple of their eyes do things or make decisions that are in their best interest. After all, it is the life experiences and knowledge that the parents possess that certainly make them better aware of certain facts and factors. So, be it about pushing the kids to study harder or making sure they don’t miss out on their daily exercise, it is the parental push that helps the kids to try new things and do what is right for them.
How to avoid going over the board when it comes to giving the nudge to kids?
While it is crucial for the parents to provide children with a gentle push as and when needed, it is equally important to keep in mind that motivating and encouraging children can go out of hand if we start pushing them too hard and too often. So, our suggestion would be to keep a few things in mind when pushing children to do the right thing.
At DPS Sushant Lok, one of the Best CBSE Affiliated Schools in Gurgaon, we believe that the most significant factor in knowing how much and when to push is considering your child’s personality. The first step is obviously to understand your kids and their interests and strengths, especially when it comes to something like extracurricular activities. After all, if your child loves painting, your best bet would be to get the kid enrolled in an art class rather than anything else.
For instance, your child might be perfectly happy on the basketball court or going to dance classes. But he/she might refuse to participate in debates or elocution competitions as he/she has no interest in these activities. No amount of pushing will help in this situation as each child has his/her own interests, and you can’t force them to develop an interest in something unless and until they really want to. This is where it becomes important for you to understand your child’s likes and dislikes and give the nudge as per their abilities and interests.
All in all, the necessity of parental push to drive and lead children on the right path cannot be negated. However, at the same time, it is essential to understand that going over the board in pushing the kids either through a wrong approach or without taking into consideration their strengths and weaknesses may end up damaging your equation with them. In that regard, we hope our guidance today will help you in navigating the situation under different circumstances. The key is to reassess your parenting strategies and take the right decision as per the demands of the scenario.