Eb and Flow Parenting: Helping Your Child Succeed

There are all kinds of programs out there to make your child a better reader, better student, better swimmer, better athlete, etc. As parents, it is our job to give our children the best start in life. So we load up on parenting books and magazines, Suzuki Violin lessons, on better baby this and that. We hand our children computers and tablets and anything else we think might boost their chances. What a wonderful intention.

All the while, as we add more and more activities and objects, we feel frenetic and frazzled ourselves. Some of us are balancing demanding careers and child raising and others have made child raising our career. And yet, we all feel the nagging question, "Is what I am doing the best for my children".

Children need time, attention, love and direction. They need to feel a part of something inclusive and their own. Of course, they need the tools to express their gifts to the world, to compete and to succeed. But that is only one piece of the puzzle.

They also need time for unstructured play and relaxation. And so do you. They need time with the people they love and who love them. And so do you. Then, just as you suspected, they need to be and feel competent in many areas. They need to be exposed to both what they will love and excel at and what they may not love but need some competency in to thrive.

So let there be an eb and flow to your child's day. There should be time to enjoy life and friends, to laugh wholeheartedly, and to make a memory. there should e time to talk with you and feel your love and concern for them. There should be time to learn and practice important skills and knowledge.

Bring all of your good intentions into a reasonable eb and flow for your child's day so at the end of the day, you both know that you spent your time well. At the end of the day, your child drifts off to sleep without anxiety but rather but rather with the sense that they are loved and loving, capable and truly alive. Childhood is a special time and you are the one who makes it so.