These days, education is extremely important, and so are the extra-curricular activities for the child. The competition has become so intense, that parents usually want their kids to excel in every arena and field, sometimes even at the cost of the child's mental well-being.
In such times, parents tend to usually compare other kids and their progress with their own and create unnecessary pressure on the child.
Recently at a promotional event, Ranbir Kapoor mentioned that he is the most educated in his family. He secured 56% in his 10th Board exams.
"My family’s history isn’t that good. My father failed in 8th grade, my uncle in 9th and my grandfather in 6th. I am actually the most educated member in my family. I got 56 per cent in my 10th boards and my best of five percentage was 60," said Ranbir at a promotional event in Mumbai.
Though all his childhood he used to fear his father and made sure he didn't flunk, that never stopped him from becoming the superstar that he is now
A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor (@ranbirkapoor) on
“My mother used to come to my school when the results were declared. I would always apologise and say ‘I’ll work harder, get good marks and won’t fail in any subjects’. Mom would say if she saw a red line on my report card, she would tell dad. I used to cry because I was very scared of him. Good thing is back then there was no Twitter. Otherwise, I don’t know what he (Rishi) would’ve written,” he said at the media event.
"I had more inclination towards football and later into acting", he added. Ranbir Kapoor's movie Jagga Jasoos is all set to release this week.
Grades are important to reach the next level, but they do not guarantee that your child will excel you. In today's world, the child has access to an ocean of information and has a lot of exposure to the real world and opportunities.
The only way to determine your child's success is to develop them as a person and polish their skills. In Aamir Khan's words from 3 Idiots, " Kabil Bano, Kamiyabi jhak maarke ayegi".
Recently a father committed suicide because he was stressed and unhappy with his child's board exam marks. Such situations can be easily avoided by keeping practical expectations from your child, because every child has a different talent and speed in achieving the goals. Society and peer pressure should be the last thing on the mind.
Helping your child build a bright future
Here are 7 things that can be done to improve the child's personal development as a whole to make them capable of building their bright future.
1. Avoid Comparisons
The biggest culprit to all this stress is comparison. You should not compare your chapter 1 with someone else's chapter 20. Everyone has a different background, support system, monetary capacity, and strengths. This comparison leads to a constant feeling of unhappiness that is not conducive for a positive growth.
2.Set Practical Targets
You must have been a bright student and completed studying all the chapters a fortnight before the exam and still scored well. Your child may not be the same. Identify your child's individual capacity and then set practical targets accordingly.
3.No Emotional Blackmail
One easiest technique as a parent to get your child to work according to you is emotional blackmail. This one is a complete no-no. Not only the child will start becoming dependent on emotional blackmail each time to get work done, but your child will learn to do the same to get his work done in the future. Also, the work done under the emotional pressure will never be wholehearted and of complete potential. Learn to keep calm and talk lovingly but in affirmation.
4.Identifying Inclinations
Your child might be giving out hints and responding to a certain way of studying or certain activity more positively. Identify his inclinations and modify the studies and activities accordingly. Some kids love to read out aloud while studying, while few listen to music while solving maths. There is no correct or wrong way. The way that gets the highest outcome is the best way.
5.Validate Peers
You end up becoming like the 5 most people you spend time with. Make sure that the child's peers are positive, encouraging and well mannered. Together they learn and together they grow. Sometimes the career choices are also influenced due to peers. Invite your child's friends home sometimes to understand them and the situation better.
6.Positive Support
You may not be a big fan of basketball, but if your child shows interest, support him. Irrespective of the amount of knowledge you have in a particular field or what people have to say, if you see your child doing good, support them instead of nagging and help them grow. There might be times when they even fail, support them to get up and get going again.
7.Appreciate Failure
This generation fails to accept failure. The rise of the rat race since childhood, had lead to only one ambition- winning. The learning bit takes a back seat and parents and children fail to accept that a failure not only teaches you a lesson, but also helps you grow as a person. The lesser you stress on your child's failure and concentrate on the learning, the more the child will bloom!
Also Read: Dejected father ends life after Pune boy scores 71 percent in HSC exams
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