Children can be a frustrating lot, especially if they lack courtesy and discipline. Perhaps it’s an over-generalization, but sometimes it seems that we’ve neglectfully raised a generation of annoying, self-centered brats! (Did our elders say the same of our generation?) To make things worse, we’ve crafted a bunch of excuses to justify both their and our unacceptable behaviors. As parents and teachers, the duty is ours to train children with better attitudes and strong moral values.
Basic tips to train your kids
- Impulsive behavior is one the biggest problems that parents experience dealing with kids. The bad news is that impulses are a part of our biological make-up. We may be higher animals, but we’re animals nonetheless and so are our children. If they’re not taught to control their impulses, they will look for frustrating and annoying ways to get what they want. That’s how kids are. One of the best ways to deal with this issue is by not responding to any demands made rudely. Once your kids realize that they’re not going to get what they want by throwing tantrums, they’ll learn to wait and delay gratification.
- Keep your children distracted with a lot of physical activity. Children are practically bundles of energy and if this energy isn’t channeled in the right direction, you could have a major problem on your hands. Introduce them to sports or other activities that they might like and encourage them to participate in those activities. Once they learn to keep busy with wholesome, exhausting extracurricular activities, they don’t have much energy left for misbehaving.
- Kids can also suffer from anger. This usually stems from the fact that they are not yet aware of how to control their emotions. Much of their behavioral “inspiration” comes from external sources like cartoons and sit-coms. Teach your kids to control their anger and to channel it in more practical ways. For instance, if your child is angry about something, ask him or her to make a list of what makes them angry and as to why. This will help them to understand where their emotions and reactions are coming from.
Train your kids with karate
Quite contrary to its portrayal in the media, karate is an art form that has its foundations in the philosophy of non-violence. Karate might have originated as a fighting style, it evolved into a lifestyle and philosophy fostering important values such as self-discipline, patience, focus, conflict resolution, respect, and more. Allowing your children to learn karate is probably one of the best ways to help instill your shared values and work ethic.