The job of a parent is to protect, nurture and teach their child to become a responsible, functional member of society. However, far beyond changing diapers, driving them to school, teaching them the difference between right and wrong, there is an ever important component that is sadly so often overlooked. Parents have the enormous, but rewarding, task of cultivating the idea that dreams are something to be chased while fostering an environment where your child feels secure enough to pursue their own particular goal.
A fireman, a teacher, opening up a restaurant, joining the military, going to college…the dreams are infinite. Teach your kids from an early age that they can do anything they want to do, like go to law schools or become a surgeon. Allow your kids to dream big, and don’t be the one to craft a ceiling limiting what they can do. While it may at times be difficult, it will be worth it for both you and your child.
Here are 3 tips for encouraging your kids to follow their dreams:
1. Let Them Create Their Own Dream
Far too often parents push their own unfulfilled or fantasized dreams onto the shoulders of their children. One of the most damaging things you can do to a child’s spirit is force them to chase a dream that they have no interest or desire to pursue. If you always dreamed of being a football star and push your child to practice for hours a day and play football against their will, you may think you are helping them, but you are actually truly harming them and creating a breeding ground for future resentment. On the other hand, let’s say your child wants to become a magician, and you think it’s an unworthy goal. Your refusal to support their vision and goals is doing them an unbelievably large disservice. As long as their aspiration is a healthy and safe dream, then you ought to support the child even if you don’t necessarily support the specific dream.
2. Demonstrate Constant Faith
There are so many people and circumstances that will try to break the spirit of your child throughout their life. You should be the one individual who is that constant source of support and assurance. Unwavering commitment means to be there through the setbacks, encouraging them with words of affirmation and support while refusing to talk negatively about the goals they have set. If you can manage to be that backbone of support through the highs and the lows, you’ll grow a sense of passion in your children that will propel them through the many adventures of life.
3. Remove “Impossible” from your Vocabulary
A child who grows up in a home where dreams are nurtured and the idea that anything is possible is nourished, will become a more stable, confident adult. Even if you don’t have the money to send your child to college, never let that fear manifest itself in your words or actions toward your child. Instead, always find the positive and highlight the possibilities rather than the challenges. You can explain that there are many scholarships available, or that they could go through a military program, but don’t tell them college is not possible because that’s simply never the case.
When you choose to enable your kid to have big plans for him or herself, you will see a marked difference in their resolve in most matters of life. Doers and go-getters are some of the most successful people on the planet, and we can be sure that somewhere along the way, there was somebody, maybe just one person, who believed in them. Be that person to your child today.
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