Tell me honestly, how do you react when you read or hear about suicides? Do you pity the victim, get angry over such fatal decisions or even wish that something needs to be done soon to stop another unnatural death? Well, sit up, you and I, we are going to do what wasn’t done in those victims’ childhood: WE are going to teach our little ones to face life. Come, let us empower the child.
Tip # 1 : (Age 2+)
Even before your toddler is ready to go to school, help him handle disappointments. Whenever he starts crying desperately, we tend to scream,”Stop crying”, usually. Instead, let’s tell him, “ DON’T CRY. SPEAK!“ That sounds simple, right?
When the little one repeatedly hears you say this, he would learn to remember that reasoning and discussion would yield expected results rather than emotional, noisy outbursts.
Possible cases of application: Trifles with another kid over a toy, pain in any part of the body, fear of being left alone or fear of darkness…
Tip # 2 : (Age 3)
When the child is mature enough or past 3 years of age, you could slightly modify Tip # 1 to say, “DON’T SPEAK. THINK!” You are helping him to analyze the situation before entering in to an altercation.
Possible cases of application: Quarrel with his friends…
Tip # 3 : (Age 3+)
When the child is familiar with Tip # 1 and 2, and is able to stop himself from crying, he will naturally be lead to the thinking process. You may now start telling him gently to ask himself the question, “WHAT’S NEXT?” With this, his focus shifts from the problem and moves towards the solution. With regular application of Tip # 3, the child will not get into brooding, but will emerge as a strong person with a positive attitude.
Possible cases of application: Breaking/ spilling at home or school, misunderstanding with friends…
Tip # 4 : (Age 4+)
You may frequently get complaints from the little one that he fails often, in spite of applying the Tip # 1,2 and 3. “They don’t really work, you see…”, you could be told. Well, its time to move on to the next Tip: “THINGS TAKE TIME“. Let him remember this mantra when he feels that all doors are shut. He learns to be patient, tolerant and to be optimistic. Hope and perseverance will eventually award him success in life.
Possible cases of application : Problems with the teacher at school or with a close friend or relative…
Tip # 5 (Age 5+)
But when you find that all his best efforts do not yield the expected results - even though he methodically applied the tips, one after the other - give him the Universal Truth : “EVEN THIS SHALL PASS“. Sound too heavy for a kid aged 5+? Not at all. If he hears you apply this last arrow from the wisdom-quiver carefully and regularly in desperate situations, the child learns to accept failures that are beyond his efforts. He also learns to move on with life.
Possible cases of application: Break up with a friend, loss of a precious object, strong criticism of a close relative…
Go ahead, sow the seeds. They germinate in his subconscious mind. And when your child grows up with these simple tips, he will turn out to be a cheerful, enterprising and highly productive adult, with an absolute “No Entry” for negative traits like broken marriage, conniving habits or suicidal thoughts in his later life.
Instead, he will be loved by all.
And, HE would love LIFE.