These 5 low-effort tips can help you raise healthy children.
324 Australians aged 15-24 committed suicide in 2012. Suicide was our leading killer that year.
It’s tragic to see so many young people fall victim to the inability to overcome adversity in their environment.
I’m no longer a child nor parent, though from being a child, progressing through my teen years and now to adulthood, I have witnessed first hand why many people deteriorate when adversity strikes.
Through my own battles with adversity I can agree many things are out of our control.
I’m positive that with the right mindset and application, you can teach yourself and loved ones to overcome adversity in a progressive and healthy way, just as I’ve been taught and continue to do.
Through research and my own experiences, I’ve put together 5 key points that you can use to teach yourself, family and those around you.
- A strong sense of belonging and unconditional love, support and safety.
.“The early caregiving relationship provides the primary context within which children learn about themselves, their emotions, and their relationships with others.” focal point – 2007
Without this foundation there will be an emotional deficit that could later prove detrimental. A common consequence of this is “complex trauma” Read more here – http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/complex-trauma
- Morals and values.
This one has proved to be quite sensitive. I have had friends grow up with honesty, compassion, responsibility and courage all around them then U – turn in the opposite direction on a path of destruction. It appeared to stem from morals being “forced” upon them. A prime example of this is the child who grows up in the rich “has it all” family and then rebels against everything it stood for.
A foundation of honesty, compassion, responsibility, and courage is a must. Though it comes to a point where encouraging self direction is just as crucial. An individual needs to create and attach to his or her own morals and ideals so they can continue to create their identity.
- Parents help positively identify children’s individuality to allow them to create a high self worth.
Being unique is a strength that separates people from being average. Without guidance and help identifying their unique traits as strengths, children can soon identify them as “weird
” or “different” and end up burying them. I encountered many children with low self worth, esteem and witnessed them later on lacking identity and direction.
- Self regulation.
Self regulation is the ability to manage emotions and impulses, and to think before you react.
Teaching a child to self regulate to overcome adversity and restore equilibrium after experiencing life’s hurdles will accelerate their personal growth. Life will always have adversity but It’s when people rise to the challenge they’re rewarded with strength, character and progress.
- Their family place high value on movement, health and education.
I can not stress this point enough. Movement, health ( both mental and physical) and education should be a staple in an individual’s upbringing. In my own experience i found the vehicle you choose to seek these through is just as important.
Children need to be stimulated through these 3 avenues. When something is forced, it is longer attractive, the investment dies out and the progress stops. Be flexible in how you implement and achieve these.
Now you have read these 5 points, identify them in your upbringing to see the impact they have had in creating who you are today. For anyone who wishes to continue their learning on this
subject here is a link to which I referenced and reiterates my points – http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/fpW07.pdf
