I found this thread on another forum and thought it was quite an interesting topic!
For me personally, the most important thing is a parent who's involved in their child's life. A parent who will listen to their child and who appreciates what they have to say. They shouldn't be overbearing, but they should be interested in what they are doing - at school, with friends - and should encourage them in the positive decisions they make.
I think it's important for parents to teach their kids, by reading to them and setting maths games, from an early age. They should encourage creativity by providing pens, pencils, art books, and crafty bits and bobs, praising them for what they create.
Parents should also lead by example and should behave in a respectful manner, showing respect and kindness to other members of society. They should feed their children healthy food and should exercise with them frequently, once or twice a week.
Parents should respect their children. As their child grows, s/he will develop into their own person, so they will no doubt hold their own beliefs, which may clash with the beliefs of their parents. Parents shouldn't judge their children and should only protest if the child does something that could harm them and/or others (e.g. takes drugs, gets involved in a gang), but even then they should deal with matters considerately. (How this could be done...I'm not entirely sure! But I do feel that some parents are too harsh on their children).
Parents should praise their children when they do something good. They shouldn't take their children's good actions for granted. My mum takes my hard work and tolerance (she's quite short-tempered) for granted and sometimes that makes me feel a bit low. If I wasn't level-headed and determined to make my own life successful, who knows where I'd be. Having said that, parents shouldn't spoil their children. One thing I will always thank my mum for is the way she behaved when I was being bullied. She didn't blame the bullies but said that my response was probably a cause. She also helped me realise that there are two sides to each story, though that was more through her complete refusal to accept that my dad, too, was hurt when they argued.
Parents should also show their children that there are limits when they do something that's wrong. If a child refuses to work at school, for example, the parent should take away priviledges. Kids don't always know what's good for them - the parents need to play a role in ensuring their children benefit from the opportunities they have.
There's A LOT more, but...I'll leave that for discussion when I hear what you guys have to say!
What do you guys think?
For me personally, the most important thing is a parent who's involved in their child's life. A parent who will listen to their child and who appreciates what they have to say. They shouldn't be overbearing, but they should be interested in what they are doing - at school, with friends - and should encourage them in the positive decisions they make.
I think it's important for parents to teach their kids, by reading to them and setting maths games, from an early age. They should encourage creativity by providing pens, pencils, art books, and crafty bits and bobs, praising them for what they create.
Parents should also lead by example and should behave in a respectful manner, showing respect and kindness to other members of society. They should feed their children healthy food and should exercise with them frequently, once or twice a week.
Parents should respect their children. As their child grows, s/he will develop into their own person, so they will no doubt hold their own beliefs, which may clash with the beliefs of their parents. Parents shouldn't judge their children and should only protest if the child does something that could harm them and/or others (e.g. takes drugs, gets involved in a gang), but even then they should deal with matters considerately. (How this could be done...I'm not entirely sure! But I do feel that some parents are too harsh on their children).
Parents should praise their children when they do something good. They shouldn't take their children's good actions for granted. My mum takes my hard work and tolerance (she's quite short-tempered) for granted and sometimes that makes me feel a bit low. If I wasn't level-headed and determined to make my own life successful, who knows where I'd be. Having said that, parents shouldn't spoil their children. One thing I will always thank my mum for is the way she behaved when I was being bullied. She didn't blame the bullies but said that my response was probably a cause. She also helped me realise that there are two sides to each story, though that was more through her complete refusal to accept that my dad, too, was hurt when they argued.
Parents should also show their children that there are limits when they do something that's wrong. If a child refuses to work at school, for example, the parent should take away priviledges. Kids don't always know what's good for them - the parents need to play a role in ensuring their children benefit from the opportunities they have.
There's A LOT more, but...I'll leave that for discussion when I hear what you guys have to say!
What do you guys think?