The Only Child...

In Singapore's context, the size of families are gradually becoming smaller. Gone are the days where parents will want to have as many kids as possible. My grandmother had 7 daughters and 3 sons! But that is a thing of the past. In fact, we are not only seeing families getting smaller but also an increasing number of couples chose to have a single child in the family. Well, I am from a single child family so let's look at the stereotypical comments which I've been getting over the years: pampered, snobbish, selfish, ignorant, innocent and the list goes on and on. However, I will disagree as I firmly believed that the personality of the child is directly related to the parents who play an important role in the upbringing and development of the child. But I can see where the comments are coming from! Single children have everything done, completed and attended to for them. They tend to be a little more sheltered than the average kid and go through less hardships. To a certain extent, the above statement is true but there can be ways to allow your child to deviate from the spoiled brat image: o Make demands on him. When something needs to be done or corrected, do not go easy on him. Of course, it does not mean abusing him physically! But I am trying to say that the child must know that there are Do's and Don'ts and also the consequences. o Communications. As always, frequent chatting with your single child can bring you and him closer together. Parents can understand his thinking and can do the necessary alignment should there be a need. o Selective rewarding. Sure, your child deserves a reward for achieving something commendable, but not all the time. It's up to the parents to give the child the motivation he needs, and only the parent themselves can gauge the appropriate amount. o Encourage him to mix around. Well, on my part, I tend to keep to myself in school. I am simply not used to having people around me. Encouraging the single child also ensures he has friends to keep him company. o Allow some form of independence. If you are going to help your single child to do everything, he probably won't know the meaning of independence and responsibility. Giving him some minor tasks for a start will be a stepping stone for being independent in the future. Author Selra Free Web Directory [url=http://selra.org/]Web Directory World - A Free Web Directory[/url]