You can’t help as a parent to feel slightly anxious when it comes to the raising of your child or children in a world that seems to be so troubled. Parents often uproot their families and emigrate in a bid to find a better life for their loved ones, and I don’t blame them. It’s sad to feel anxious and unsafe in your own country, fearing the potential what ifs.
It also seems like those that are violently attacking others have become more aggressive and more confident in their approach, if not proud, of all the pain and fear that they have instilled in so many innocent victims. The truth is that it’s not fair, yet it’s the world we live in. What gets to me as a mom, is knowing that I have to raise my son in this world. I have to raise him in a way that encourages him to make good choices and encourages him to see the good in things, in people, and to believe for the best amongst the chaos.
HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE OUR CHILDREN?
- As our children grow up, we need to make sure that they know and understand their sense of self-worth and value so that they can make the right choices.
- We can encourage our children to always see the positive, and to always hope and believe for better days.
- We can encourage our children to be the innovators, the dreamers, the problem solvers, and the kind of leaders that our world needs.
DOES OUR FEAR INFLUENCE OUR PARENTING?
It’s a choice
As a parent I can either let the fears and disappointments of world events dictate and define how I choose to parent my son, or I can look past it and look to a future that my son can shape and positively influence. If I make decisions out of fear all the time, my son will grow up making decisions based on fear. I don’t want that for my son; I don’t want him fearing life itself. I want him to be aware of the issues and the problems that occur in this world, but I don’t ever want him to fear being a part of it. Therefore I need to choose to look at what could be, and look for the positive amidst the chaos!
Look ahead and envision what could be
That means as a parent I need to look ahead. It means I need to put fear aside. It means I need to dream and envision what the world could be. Which means I need to change my perceptions and the way I speak about it. Our children mimic what we do and what we say, and it influences them and their behaviour as they grow up.
Therefore, these are the questions we should be asking ourselves:
What do we want them to know and understand regarding this world?
What role or part do we want our children to play within the world as they grow up?
Do we want our children to fear the world?
Will my perceptions and actions influence them positively or negatively one day?
The world isn’t perfect, and the world is filled with imperfect people. However, we can’t allow fear to define the way we go about raising our children. As parents we can decide if we want to raise our children fearing the world, or we can decide to raise our children in a way that encourages them to be brave, and encourages them to be part of the solution that brings change, and that brings hope to the world at large.
Just imagine if our children became part of a solution that made a positive impact on others and the world! I don’t know about you, but I would love to see many more amazing things unfold in this world!