Every parent's purest wish is for their kids to become successful someday. That is why parents should be an example to their kids and teach them some valuable lessons they could use later in life.
But growing research in successful parenthood has several suggestions on how parents could help their children on the path towards success.
So what does it take to have successful kids? Is this a nature versus nurture argument? Regardless of a person's inclination to this subject, there is no denying that parenting plays a major role in producing successful kids.
Eating Meals Together As A Family
According to Dr. Anne K. Fishel, the co-founder of the non-profit organization called The Family Dinner Project, clinical psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, eating dinner together more often is important.
Kids who often eat with their families at least five days a week exhibit lower levels of substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, obesity, and depression. For over the past 20 years, researchers have confirmed that sharing a meal with family is good for the spirit, the brain, and the family's overall health.
Also, the non-profit organization said that kids who eat together with their families have higher grade-point averages, better vocabularies, and have higher self-esteem.
Assign Kids Regular Chores
Research shows that assigning regular chores to kids cultivates a sense of responsibility, self-reliance, and mastery.
Stanford University's former Dean of Freshmen Julie Lythcott-Haims once said during a Ted Talk event that kids raised on chores go on to be collaborative coworkers and become more empathetic because they identify with those who have endured struggles. Also, they can work independently with minimal supervision.
But researchers suggest keeping chores and allowances separate as external rewards could lower intrinsic motivation.
Delay Gratification
The classic Marshmallow Experiment of 1972 is an experiment to see the ability of kids to delay gratification. It involves placing a marshmallow in front of a young child, promising that he will get a second one if he could refrain from eating it while the researcher stepped outside the room for 15 minutes.
A follow-up study 40 years later showed that the children who were able to delay gratification grew up to have better social skills, get higher test scores, lower substance abuse, be less obese, and better deal with stress, Business Insider reported.
Give Room For Children To Fail
The goal of parents should be to minimize risk and not to eliminate it.
Parents who understand the value of failure in attaining success are said to be on the path of successful parenting. It might be hard to see your kids fail, but it is an essential part of growing and learning. Successful failures help children build their character, learn to be resilient, and assist in developing their over competence, Lifehack reported.
Limit Screentime
According to experts, spending too much time on tablets and smartphones can permanently alter little kids' brains. Parents of today should limit their kids' screentime as it could impede the development of certain abilities, like focus and attention, vocabulary, and social skills, in their kids.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time for children younger than 18 months. While an hour a day screen time for kids ages two to five.
But for older kids, parents should make sure that it does not take over the sleeping schedule, exercise, and social interaction of their kids. Also, AAP strongly advises that the dinner table, car, and bedrooms should be assigned as media-free zones.
Check out more news and information on Parenting on Science Times.
