Home > Kids > Childhood Development > Building Self-Esteem > 10 Tools for Parenting Happy, Healthy Children

Slideshow Iconslideshows MORE

|

10 Tools for Parenting Happy, Healthy Children

Previous
2 of 11
Youngboydressedasasuperhero
Next

Give Them Some Magic

I've never understood how so many parents join in the Santa Claus conspiracy (well, you have to, or you would be ostracized by all the other parents at school) but don't provide their children with any other magic. Yet, magic is what childhood is all about—freedom from tedious reality, freedom from responsibility, freedom from the constraints of adult life. Over the 18 years we have to raise our children, we have to slowly feed them reality, responsibility, and obligations, but we should be fighting to keep the magic alive as long as we can.

Give Them Space

The first and most basic requirement children need to enjoy the magic is a blank canvas. They can do magic all by themselves, they just need us to get out of the way. Small children can believe in all sorts of things we can't. Their bedroom floor really is a miniature battlefield, the backyard kiddie pool becomes an Olympic pool, and those Legos are really a spaceship.

What's more, children are free of the forethoughts that can ruin things for us. When I was about 18, I laid on a beach and let the waves wash round me. As much as I enjoyed the sensation, I couldn't entirely shake off the thought of what a pain it was going to be to wash all the sand out of my long hair. (I didn't know the half of it—it took hours.) Small children can get blissfully covered in mud or paint without a thought about all the cleanup they'll have to go through to get it all off—as long as we keep our mouths shut and don't spoil it for them by pointing it out.

Next: Show Them How to Separate Right from Wrong

From Nobody Told Me That! 10 Tools for Parenting Healthy, Happy Children Copyright © 2009, FT Press. Used by permission of FT Press, and Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

To order this book go to Amazon.

you might also like:

from our community:

what’s hot

  1. Top 10 End-of-the-Year Gifts for Teachers
  2. 10 Gender-Predicting Old Wives' Tales
  3. Top 12 Fundraising Ideas
  4. VIEW ALL

stay connected

Sign up for our free email newsletters and receive the latest advice and information on all things parenting.

Enter your email address to sign up or manage your account.

Facebook icon Twitter icon Follow Us on Pinterest

editor’s picks

highlights

Top 10 End-of-Year Teacher Gifts
School is in the final stretch! Find unique and sweet teacher appreciation gifts to help say thanks and farewell to your favorite educator at the end of the school year.

10 Most Common Pregnancy Cravings Decoded
Sweet, salty, sour, spicy — cravings during pregnancy can run the gamut. Read on to find out what foods pregnant women crave the most and why.

Safest Sunscreens for Kids
Wondering what the best sunscreens are to use on your child? Check out these natural sunscreens for kids. They're chemical-free and will keep your child safe from the sun’s harmful rays.

Are Your Kids Sick of Sandwiches for Lunch?
By this point in the school year, your kids are probably tired of the same old sandwiches. Find some new and different school lunch ideas that will help fuel your child through June.