Any parent knows that without their input, children tend to grow and develop strong personalities all on their own. It’s amazing, really, as none of us have direct control over the kind of person our child will be, as in how they feel internationally, and what natural predispositions they have for the world around them.

But of course, we do have secondary control, that is in terms of the lessons they learn, the boundaries we set, and the principles we reinforce. For instance, one of the most important things a parent can do is give their child the appropriate discipline so that sharing and playing in cooperation with other children, while retaining their confidence, is a complete norm. Children who suffer from anti-social behaviors will often be rejected by the group otherwise, which can prevent their ability to grow or develop their social skills.

Helping our children unlock their wonderful personalities as they grow, then, takes a predetermined and careful effort to get right. In this post, we’ll discuss a few ways any parent can achieve that:

Social, Emotional Learning

Social emotional learning, especially during a pandemic, is the art of being able to heighten emotional intelligence, see from another perspective, and relate to people especially in challenging times. This can help your child develop maturity and feel a sense of obligation to help, but mostly to understand how others are feeling, and to find their strength in compassion. This is a strong lesson for any child to learn, and it has its difficulties, but it certainly socializes them more properly and develops them into better people than the alternative. In that respect, these lessons are thoroughly healthy to give.

Building Confidence & Care

There’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and teaching our children how to present the latter without falling into the former is key. It’s the difference between being proud of who you are and shaking off criticism as well as limiting the need for approval from others, or the need to one-up others. 

You can help teach a child to avoid the latter, and mediate them as they fall into the pitfalls of doing the former, because children do tend to require that validation regardless. Teaching them to express that in the healthiest way, such as by identifying people with qualities that matter, can be key to who they find it appropriate to surround themselves with at school.

Taking Initiative

A child that learns to take initiative will often be the child that is willing to learn via curiosity, to try new things, and to volunteer when appropriate. This can be helped by showing them the benefit of this early, be that enrolling them into instrument lessons or martial arts classes appropriate for their age. This way, the ability to develop a skill and grow at it, outside of a normal schooling environment, can enrich them as they grow.

With that advice combined, you’ll be sure to nourish the wonderful personality of your child, helping them unlock their vast potential for the better.