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most children and teenagers today.
And such attitudes can be a great
barrier to a parent's child-rearing
efforts.
Parents must foster an atmo–
sphere of openness and approach–
ability. Chíldren must not be made
Instill in
your children
a love of
books and
reading. Help
them select
interesting and
informative
books.
to feel afraid to come to you as a
paren
t.
Establish contact wíth your chil–
dren. Don't let job, activitíes, self–
ish interests or other matters inter–
fere with this need. This is too
often neglected- with disastrous
consequences!
Communication must be two–
way. Parents usually communicate
to
their children, but not
with
them. Your chíldren bave their
own ideas, dreams, plans and goals.
Sorne are right. Sorne are wrong, or
inadvísable.
If
your children devel–
op the habit of coming to you with
their thoughts, you will be able to
direct and advise them in tbeir
thinking, and often prevent prob–
lems before they arise.
Answer honestly: Do your chil–
dren come to you for advice?
If
not, you need to begin talking more
wíth them. Ask them questions
about school , their friends, their
interests, problems they might be
having. Not in a pryíng manner,
but in an attitude of genuine inter–
est and concern. Show them that
you are interested. Be understand-
26
ing. Be fair. Let them know that
they can always come to you, even
if they've done something wrong.
Soon your children wíll want to
take you ínto their confidence and
share tbeír problems, joys and sor–
rows.
Do you really
listen
to your chil–
dren's viewpoints? Don't automati–
cally close your mind to their
views. Youngsters won't always
agree wíth parents about what's
best for them, but if you give them
a fair hearing and genuinely consid–
er th;eir views, they will realize that
you have been fair.
Help them understand why
something is either wrong or inad–
visable. Don 't just say "No!" and
leave it at tbat. Provide instruction
and guidance. Take time to
teach.
If
tbey choose to do what is inadvis–
able, Jet them learn the lesson.
Don't rub it in by saying,
" 1
told
you so. "
Occasionally have an evening of
family discussion, a round-table in
which all are involved. On such an
occasion, allow each member of the
family to air his or her views and
make suggestions about possible
change that might need to be made
in various areas of family life. This
will be an excellent time to get to
know your children and how they
are thinking-and for your chil–
dren to get to know
you.
Get to
know
your child at this
age.
If
a pattern of open communi–
cation is established in these years,
you'll be on a much better footing
when the teen years arrive. Don't
Jet a generation gap develop in your
family. Close that gap by
commu–
nicating
with your children!
Educating the Whole Pe rson
One of the most tragic develop–
ments of our time has been a rather
general declining quality of educa–
tion.
The foundation for educational
success is built in the elementary
years-and before. lf proper atten–
tion and guidance are given in the
early years, those years that follow
will be mucb more productive and
rewarding.
Instill a desire for education in
your child. Help establish right
attitudes abou
t
sc bool. Show
enthusiasm over his homework and
school accomplishments. Be con–
cerned and interested in your
child's progress-and
show
it.
Establish a dialogue with his
teacher. Discuss his progress peri–
odically. Listen to the teacher and
take the instruction to heart.
lf
there are problem subjects requir–
ing additional attention, help your
child in these areas. Don't allow
your child to simply coast through
scbool, doing just enough to get by.
Be actively concerned. It will pay
off handsomely in so many ways.
Remember, too, that your cbild's
education doesn't begin and end
with the school day. Education is
an ongoing process.
lt
takes place
throughout one's waking hours.
There are many ways of fostering
this continuous learning process.
One of the important roles of a par–
ent is that of
teacher!
Instill in your children a !ove of
books and reading. Take them
occasionally to your public library.
Help them select interesting and
informative books on a wide range
of subjects. Go through these books
with them, as time allows.
Create an atmosphere of dynam–
ic interest in the huge world around
us. Encourage them to want to
know more about it-about its
people, places, wildlife, history and
so on. Read
with
them. Set an
example by letting them see you
reading.
The
PLAIN TRUTH