Are we Raising or Racing our Children?

 Our Children, Our Treasures 

#NAD_EnglishCorner

#Children’s_Day

Do you remember that we were once a child? 

Yes, we were once a member of the happiest society – an adventurous, happy-go-lucky person, whose laughter can easily brighten up the day. Where every second counts as a positive growth (if I may borrow the words from those commercials) 😊  - and every fall is considered as a learning process. 

Oh well, maybe not for every one of us. 

But, lets take a look from the brighter side.  

Aren’t we all loved to be pampered, and now, most of us try to do the same to our children  - or at least, that’s what we think we are doing 😊 

Can you imagine that at time being we are living in a borderless era – where our children can easily pick things up without us knowing it. Let alone the pandemic we are facing which means online classes for them. This simply means different social interactions to their friends. Meantime, this can also consider to be the right moment for us to set some value to them.  

It may be too much if I say that sometimes, we forget to give the strong foundation to our children – which is ‘How to be HUMAN’. I am sure that none that we’ve done are on purpose, however sometimes we got carried away – just like any other parents.  This basic value and the approach that we made, might later be a golden bridge between us and our children. And it depends on how we made it. 

People may say that we are now in a “Modern-Parenting-Mode”. Regardless the title  - it is basically to do the best for our children. Ensuring that their rights as children are protected. There is no such thing like 100 % right, or 100% wrong when it comes to parenting. The guideline is to raise them well, and let them choose their own ‘racing’. 

I know that the line might be familiar to some of us… Between Raising and Racing. 

Yes, raising means looking after, elevating to the next level. It is beyond educating, but to make them ‘HUMAN’ . Letting them know their position in society, to be responsible on the options taken, and be a considerate yet a life-time learner. While ‘racing’ is asking them to compete in a way to be bragged by us, the parents. We should let them choose whom and how to race instead of telling them what and who should they race. 

Children is always our treasure, but they are also human, who have the same right like us, parents. 

We happened to experienced earlier, and may end up with lesser than them. But hey, don’t forget the fact that it is our duty to give the best of us, so they will be a better person and make the world a better place to live. In order to do so, we as parents have to adopt a way to make it works. 

The fact that our children is facing a borderless era, which encourage them (and us) to learn a lot of things as fast as we can, competing with time, need and their peers. This is stressing. It also triggers another fact that they will soon set their own goals (and ours too) so they can cope with the current trend, and again it is stressing to both of us – but more important – to our children.  The pressure is so much different than what we had in mid 80s. Even so, the lines are still there. How we, as parent have to accommodate their needs, so they can face the problem and settle it well.  

So, lets wear their shoes more often. Hug and listen to their needs, setting aside what we have in mind. Let them live their life at the fullest. Life is so competitive, yet, they are so precious. We shall let them choose how they want to be competitive, in a good way.  We don’t have to pamper them all the time, but setting a good example might be a solution.  

Remember, there is no such thing such as 100% right or 100% wrong when it comes to raise a child. Every child is unique, and so are we… They deserve the best, to be better than us… 😊

Bekasi - 24th July 2021