HOW TO DO THE BEST FOR YOUR CHILD
Much nonsense has been written about child-rearing and has been elevated over the years to a level of scientific achievement that would have daunted even the great Einstein.
I believe the best way to bring up children is by example. Get your own act together, then enlist your children as apprentices who can follow your example.
The worst thing that can happen is for parents to have their self-confidence dismantled by some so-called expert who makes them feel inadequate. A great many books on child care should probably be moved to the fiction section of bookshops. Believe me; it isn’t the end of the world if your child wasn’t breastfed until 10, didn’t swim at 1 year, read by 3 or played the saxophone by 7. You need a balanced, healthy life in which your child is taught to be interested, communicate well, mix, have a general education and, above all, be happy.
Those who push their children to become infant Einsteins should ensure that this is not at the expense of all the fun of hearing through example and love. One is never quite sure with high power. pushy parents whose ego is actually being boosted.
However hard you may try, you cannot change a petunia into a rose; every child is programmed at birth towards a certain temperament, ease of discipline, learning ability and physical dimensions. Although, to continue the garden metaphor, your good care can gild the lily, you can not alter the fundamental make-up of the child.
As I have said, get your life in order and teach by example, and remember, everybody’s life is different. Don’t be ground down by the seemingly Supermum next door. She’s probably no better than you, just a better actress! Anyway, her child is not the same as yours and shouldn’t be compared.
Talk, read, play and listen to your children. Enjoy love, cuddle and transmit those warm feelings. Don’t turn life into a series of formal lessons and army regulations; let there be fun.
Above all, do what feels right and work for you. There is no one right way to bring up a child. With proper love, care and commitment, you’ll find that it just happens naturally.