How to Raise an Independent Kid

2021-02-20T10:00:22+00:00

By Virtue Digest

How to Raise an Independent KidWe live in a world where anything can happen at any moment. It is a human instinct to always want to protect children from bad things. But, are parents doing too much? There are many ways your kids can be safe from harm but still grow to become independent, safe and secure.For parents, raising an independent kid leads to less stress and worry. Although difficult to accept, there are times when your kids are better off without you. This does not mean that you should not monitor your kids, but there are some situations you have to let your kids make decisions on their own.At some points in your kid’s life, you will need to step aside. Before that, you must make sure that your kids imbibed universal values that will help them to become independent and responsible adults. Some of them are being productive, morally upright and independent.Sometimes, parents are worried about how their children get over fears, learn to take risks or become more responsible. No matter how loving you may be, you might not be able to help them through these challenges. For your kids to be independent, here are two basic things you can’t give to them.

You can’t make your kids happy all the time

Biologically, it is normal for you to empathise with kids. When they cry, you run to see if they are in danger. When they look worried, you wrap them around your arms. You just want to make sure they are fine all the time. However, you should let your kids learn from what make them feel sad. With this, they’d be able to control themselves.

You can’t give them high self-esteem

In the journey of life, self-esteem is very important and kids need this everywhere they find themselves. So, it comes from building skills and mastering challenging tasks on their own.

So, independence is like triple jump. They hop, step, jump and sometimes fail. But, they need to keep taking baby steps to succeed. Every child needs to practise being independent, and every parent needs to practise letting their kid to be independent. Well, you can support them when they jump from the take-off board, but you definitely can’t jump with them.For you to raise an independent kid, you can:

Teach them problem solving skills.
Suggest but don’t intervene.
Present reasonable choices.
Create a routine.
Help them to set new expectations.

Raising an independent kid is not an easy task. There is the pressure to make sure everything is done correctly. However, it takes time, patience and practice.Read Also: Helping Your Adolescent Succeed in School