Just like plants that require soil, water, sunshine, and food, children need a support system to grow. Peter Wohlleben, author of "The Hidden Life of Trees," presented the older trees as parents, noting that the parent trees were there for their children to communicate through roots and support them as they grow.
In the story, the trees had a long life together with their family because they protect and take care of each other and provide for everyone's needs especially support. Similarly, parents serve as supportive units to help children prosper and grow; kids need an essential support system for their social and emotional growth.
Before showering children with support, they will need to understand first what growth is, as it will also allow them to motivate themselves in social-emotional learning. This can only be done by first identifying the child's support system and the strengths and challenges to growth. Discussing these with the kids will help them see how the strengths and occurrences will change them as their social-emotional skills develop simultaneously. Better Education says that parents must set goals and keep track of them as it will also provide kids something tangible to see and motivate them to set and establish more goals once the first ones have been accomplished.
How can parents show support to their children?
Parents serve as the frontline public health workers of kids as they nurture, supervise, and teach kids healthy habits, ensuring that they are safe and giving them a good quality of health and education. Above all, what parents must give their children is support.
They play a crucial role in a child's brain development as they serve as the children's first teachers and prepare them for increased independence. As kids grow, they will feel more conscious about how their parents treat them and would start comparing their parents' treatment to other parents. To avoid this, parents must give them a strong support system so they will not be easily swayed when they see things differently, including how other parents treat their children. They must be educated on how the support system varies.
Adults can display support by actively encouraging them to do their best in school and acknowledge every effort they make in their schooling, hobbies, and interests. Support can also be shown by listening without judgment and learning to understand their main concerns and challenges as they grow old.
According to Reach Out, parents must not set expectations for their children as they will feel more pressured and unable to fully understand a support system, and setting such will only lead to kids blaming themselves. Thus, they must be treated fairly.
Why is support from the family, especially from the parents, important?
Parents are the first ones to form a child's relationship. They are role models and show how children should act inside or outside the house. Family gives care and support, which is special and cannot be found in anyone. A support system allows children to thrive, especially when they know their parents are actively promoting their positive growth and development, per Smart Beginnings.
