Parenting Techniques That’ll Make You & Your Kids Happier!

Family CounselingMarch 17, 2020

As parents, you must be well aware of the imagination that kids have. They can draw something out of nothing, entertaining themselves with the stories that reside in their mind. Sometimes this imagination takes a positive turn, bringing with it sessions of tea parties and sometimes it can bring with it monsters. Of course, as parents, you try not to dwell too much on these fantasies, dismissing them as much as you can. But we believe that taking part in children’s imagination is very important. It’s okay to not always look at the realistic picture, but instead, to take part in the fantasies constructed by the creative minds before you. That is one of the reasons you should foster it too, to keep that creativity alive and let it thrive instead of pushing it down. This also helps make parenting a bit of an easier task. Here’s how;

No More “No’s”

Whenever you try to stop children from doing something wrong, their initial response is ‘no’ which eventually turns into their favorite go-to phrase for any and all actions. They go ahead with what they want, enjoying their freedom to the fullest. They do not like being told what to do, and rather tend to do the opposite of it. But this rebelliousness is not impossible to get past. When you accept the imagination that they are so eager to share and take part in it, they feel more relaxed with you. This relaxation is what helps them to listen to what you say instead of constantly refusing to do so.

Even psychologists agree with this as they state that a child may feel more freedom if they are in a world of make-believe. This freedom makes them less likely to say ‘no’ to the instructions given because they don’t feel like reality is being imposed on them.

Say Hello To Motivation

Pretending is one of the favorite pass times for children as they would rather be an attractive humorous character that they feel inspired by than themselves. This pretense is an outlet of energy for them as they jump from couch to couch, playing the hero and villain. The initial reaction of parents is to control this energy but if instead, it is encouraged, the child may feel motivated.

Children are easily influenced by the stories they read and these stories are what forms the basis of their fantasies so when these fantasies are participated in, they feel more encouraged to do what is asked of them. It keeps their mind active and them happy with their surrounding which is an important aspect to consider when dealing with kids.

Feeling Relaxed?

A child often complains about monsters under the bed or in the closet and in order to calm them down, parents tell them that these monsters are not real. This is the wrong way to go because, for children, their imagination is their reality so instead of pulling them out from their own world, what’ll work better is adjusting oneself to their fantasy. If there’s a monster under the bed, tell them how there is a superhero right outside. This has even proven to be effective through conducted studies and even though it may not be achieved easily, it has more long term benefits than the realistic approach.

This also means nurturing the imaginative nature of your child and introducing them to daily activities that keep their mind churning for more. One way to do this to engage your child to partake in more active activities such as playing in a park or even having a one on one interaction with you. What they should be kept away from are too many passive activities that don’t require them to use their minds such as watching television. Similarly, the child should also be encouraged to make their own choices, let them wear pajamas with a frock. Of course, this should be done when the decision is a safe one and risk-free.

Handling this imagination by trying to apply the discussed method in daily life may be an exhausting chore for parents as make-believe requires a lot of mental energy but it is a better approach than one where you have to yell at your kids or apply other unnecessary techniques.