Guidelines For Parents/Guardians

As parents, we owe our children quality time to build their self-esteem.

• Spend time with your children, by talking, laughing and playing games together. This may not only be beneficial for young children but also for parents of young adolescents to develop a comfortable relationship by talking and sharing with them.
• Praise your children for the little things they do. This appreciation goes a long way in building their self-worth, confidence and raising their self-esteem.
• Give your children due respect and listen to them completely when they speak. Listen, maintain an eye contact and give positive facial expressions. This would not only help build mutual trust but also facilitate free expression. It is important to let your children know and realize that their feelings and thoughts are important and valuable for you.
• Give your children the opportunity to participate in decision making. Provide them with choices that stimulate them to think and respond appropriately. Setting extreme limits for your children will only make them throw tantrums or be aggressive in their attitude. Trusting their decisions would encourage them to be more responsible of their actions.
• Do not give in to all the demands of children. However, while saying ‘no' keep in mind that an explanation is always necessary to enable them to understand the importance of reason/ consequences of actions with time. This process of having healthy conversations may help in eliminating any scope for mistrust or communication gap.
• Don't frown or lose temper if/when your children falter or make mistakes. Even in your corrective actions add a big dose of encouragement for them to do better the next time. Negative reinforcement tears down their self-esteem which may prevent children from taking up challenges in striving for higher standards in life.
• Stories are a wonderful way of bridging the communication gap, reaching from one heart to another. Children love to hear about their parents, elders etc. Try telling them stories about your childhood, subtly instilling family values in your children. After all, each family has a rich treasure of history and values which it would not want to be washed away with time.
• Encourage your children to shoulder responsibilities, without expecting them to get things right in the first few attempts. Taking care of things themselves instills a sense of pride and a positive attitude about themselves.
• Encourage children to pack their bags according to the time table, themselves. Being responsible for their daily chores would bring about discipline in their lives.
• Don't stereotype chores as male or female chores. Instead, encourage them to do things together, emphasizing the importance of team work.