Each and every one of us is different. Different in the way we think, speak and behave. Isn’t that what makes us unique? But our value systems are something I believe we inherit from our parents. We may not always agree with what our parents think, say or believe but I believe that they play a major role in shaping us and our personalities.
Values are not something that is easily definable and quite honestly the word values itself could mean different things to different people but the core of it lies in what we believe is right and wrong.
Parents can have a lasting effect on children. Some children suffer due to the absence of parents and some suffer due to their presence. That’s why being a parent is such an important job. They are our first teachers, showing us right from wrong and telling us how things are done. Just like any other teacher, they can have both positive and negative effects on a child but somehow the good or bad a parent can do surpasses any other teacher a child can have. Hence, coming back to the premise of how important it is to be a good parent.
Remember that you are the voice in your child’s head when they’re trying to decide what’s right or wrong. I believe parents are like a child’s conscience. That inner voice that guides them and it doesn’t necessarily mean only the big stuff, it could be the little voice in your head telling you to be nicer or to not eat too much sugar.
The big stuff could be something that doesn’t help your confidence like say, body shaming. See how that escalated? That’s exactly the power a parent has. You could teach your children to soar and give them the confidence to fly high while on the other hand, you could say something that lowers your child’s confidence and in effect just clips their wings. The choice is yours. Be careful when you’re responsible for a little life.
In the words of F. Douglas, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults.”
