Parenting

How do parents affect their children's personalities?

Parents play a great role in shaping their child’s personality early. Children often imitate their parents which is a mode of learning in early childhood. The immediate circle of your child is ‘YOU’. Your child will be affected by your words, actions and behavior. In numerous ways, children follow suit of their parents. Hence, it is vital that parents set the right example and ideal and also ensure that their children imbibe the right qualities to have a positive impact on children’s personality development. 

“Parents can either knock down a child's personality with neglect or they can nurture it with love.” 

Why do parenting styles matter?

Research (Influence of parental personality on parenting styles published by International Journal of Psychology Sciences) has found that certain personality traits are associated with parenting styles. Parents high on forwardness, openness and agreeableness are more likely to be authoritative in their parenting style. Dysfunctional parents are likelier to engage in inconsistent and hostile behaviors with their children. Parents with high neuroticism may become anxious, or high conscientiousness, or may be highly demanding. An early screening of personality and parent training can facilitate better parenting.

What are the ways parents can positively affect their children’s personalities?

Let us one-by-one look at these ways parents can positively affect their children’s personalities.

1. Create the right atmosphere at home

A peaceful, clutter-free and encouraging home environment stimulates your child’s physical and mental growth.

2. Admire your kids whenever required and be emotionally supportive

Admire your kid’s enthusiasm, innate sense of fairness, empathy, creativity, memory, patience with their siblings, and other qualities that they reflect time-to-time. 

3. Encourage independence and self-esteem in children

Encouraging your kids to make decisions instills independence in them. Creating opportunities for kids to do and learn things is a way to build their self-esteem and confidence.

4. Replace screen time with engaging activities like sports

You can prevent addiction to screens by replacing them with engaging activities like sports, travel, and playing games with them. Other than health benefits, sports instill sportsmanship, self-confidence, and the need to respect and adhere to rules in your kids.

5. Give a touch of emotional intelligence to your parenting skills

In times of emotional turmoil, empathetically guide your children through the problem and help them move on, leading to better social, academic and overall well-being.

6. Introduce meditation magic with children for bonding

Family meditation time is a stress reliever, but it can also be your favorite family pastime for improving your bonds. Prepare your kids and teens for every eventuality. Enroll them in the Children and Teens programs.

7. Introduce the idea of sharing

Values of sharing

Appreciate good sharing when you see in your child or their friends. The positive reinforcement of sharing habits involves your child too.

8. Allow free time to play the way they enjoy

Give freedom to your child to play their favorite game the way they prefer. It will give wings to their creativity and improve their self-confidence.

9. Inculcate moral values to be better citizens and human beings

get more compassionate

You can be their role model in instilling moral values like honesty, compassion, caring and sharing, in their early years. Your acknowledgment of your child’s good behavior will reinforce your child about his behavior and he will continue his ideal conduct.

10. Implement effective alternatives to harsher punishments

Harsh punishments could make your children stubborn and reduce their self-esteem. Alternatives to harsher punishments are needed. You should patiently make your children understand the logical consequences of bad behaviors.

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To summarize

Neither two kids are the same, nor two parenting styles are the same. Identify children’s personality types (resilient, over-controlled and under-controlled) to narrow down their needs. 

Sometimes, the temperaments of parents and kids are compatible and other times, families struggle hard to fill in the gaps. Imagine a highly active child with low-energetic parents. In these cases, parents need to uplift their energy and enhance their creativity to nurture the immense potential in their children. Here, meditation and pranayamas have proved to be beneficial. 

Learn more about Online Meditation and Breath Workshop

Inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s wisdom talks

Written by: Pratibha Sharma

Reference link 

International Journal of Psychology Sciences published a review, “Influence of parental personality on parenting styles”

Related article and video

How to be a good parent” is a blog that renders a few useful tips in parenting.

A video on parenting tips by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

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