Raising Them Right

Mistakes Can Happen, but You Can Avoid the Big Blips

 

Bringing up children is one of the toughest jobs you’ll ever do – and there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.

Even with the best intentions, mistakes are likely. Here’s a guide to some of the common slip-ups we make when it comes to raising our kids, plus tips on ways to avoid them.

HAVING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Setting the bar too high can have a long-term impact on your kids. Deciding they should excel at sport or at school work, for example, without taking their abilities into consideration, can put a lot of pressure on them, leading to stress.

By all means encourage them to do their best and help where you can, but don’t set unrealistic goals. It’s not the end of the world if your son is not top of the class or your daughter doesn’t make the Silver Ferns, but they may end up with huge self-esteem issues if they feel like they’re not good enough.