Matthew Gates 2m 525
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Your Children are your Investment
Most parents love their children and will do anything for them. From the time the child is born and both parents remain involved and excited, there is nothing they will not do for that child. They go out and buy that child an entire set for their room, a crib, a walker, clothes, and so much more. There is pretty much nothing a parent will not do for their children.
What a parent does for their children will define who they are, how they are, and who they become, especially when it comes to behavior, entitlement, ambition, and self-worth. There are many parents who have a single child or multiple children and may spoil one or all. Spoiling children may have unintended consequences — while a parent may want their child to have everything and especially more than they ever had, the consequences of spoiling children could be devastating or it may just mean that the child could be very appreciative of everything they have.
There must be some balance between what you give your child and what you have them earn – such as giving them chores and teaching them the value of the dollar. If you give your child everything on a silver platter, they will come to expect that is the way things are to be done. They may even grow resentful if you over-spoil them or do not do enough for them and come to think the world owes them something when, in fact, the world owes them nothing, and unfortunately, you – as parents – must be the ones to teach your children that.
Is your child worth the investment? Absolutely. By sending your children to musical lessons, basketball practice, soccer practice, the swim team, chess club, or any other activity that keeps them productive, entertained, and learning — you are teaching your child the importance of multitasking and you are investing in the possible things they will do in their future.
There is a formula for the investment of a child. Investment = Money + Time + Child + Activity. If you invest in a video game console for your child and set them in front of the television set where all they do is play video games all day, you are going to see the results in just a few years. If you get your child interested in outdoor activities and sports and encourage them, you will see the results in just a few years. If you explore books for your child to read and have your child invest their time in those books, you better make sure those books are of great influence to your child.
Depending on how you raise your child and what you invest your time and their time in, you will see results. There is never a way to know exactly what those results will be, but make sure you use that time wisely and make a good investment in your child. Your child is definitely worth investment, but make sure the investment is worth it and your child gets something great out of it that will help them advance in their own life.
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