To compete or to cultivate?

Children is always the best gift of the parents and it is sure that parents would like their children to experience the best growth experience they can. With family resources and budgets, a childhood gradually became something that filled with various kinds of interest classes or enrichment courses. Before parent continue add in new interest classes for their children, why not think about whether it is necessary to sacrifice a child’s leisure time or even family time to equip them with loads of new knowledge that they might not be learning at this stage? Are we really hope our children to learn more different subjects or to learn more compared with their so call “competitors”? Therefore, it is always ending up with the question of whether to Compete or to Cultivate.

Tip 1 – Experience and focus on the one the kid likes.

Children is definitely not a learning machine. I once talked with some parents and felt so shocked when I noticed that their kids were taking up 10 interest classes throughout the week. Some even complained on their children as they were not doing well in a few of those classes they attended. When they were asked for the reason they sent their kids to the classes, the answers were similarly as “the others are doing it”. The problem with this is the neglection of the kid’s sense of participation. Being signed up for a class where the kid may not be interested in could lose the enthusiasm and thus lower the range of improvements on it. This not only pressurizing children with no courage to tell their parents whether they like it or not but also wasting time and money. Children could not likely express much of their feeling about the classes they attend but saying whether they like it or not. Parents ought to communicate and observe their children’s reaction on learning a new thing. If one is willing to ask and explore, further focus on this subject can be processed. At the end, it is always the child’s will to like the activity and go for more, which it has to be respected.

Tip 2 – Have good arrangement on kid’s schedule and make sure they have enough resting time.

Back to the parent I mentioned earlier that her kid was attending 10 interest classes throughout the week, I joked with her saying that she has forgotten that the kid still has school and studies to do. Learning new things in interest classes can broaden the horizon of a kid but can also exhausts his/her spirit of learning, a double-side blade. With such busy schedule children may easily get depression if one tiny slip triggers any negative reactions of their parents. Parents need to pay attention on getting a balance among school, interest classes, leisure time, and family time in order to maintain a child’s healthy growth. It is only the parents who are the biggest supporter and friend with their children. From time to time, parent can ask and talk with the children about their will and thoughts about their extra-curricular activities. This not just giving them a rest time and break but also to understand their kids in-depth of what they really like. If parent found any classes in the schedule that the kid does not like it at all, just simply take it away.