by Akhilesh Mittal

Created on: March 18, 2009

World is a competitive place and Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest is a fact.

Parents have the best interest of their children at heart and want them to succeed in all aspects of life. However, sometimes this can become an obsession and adversely impact the child. You can pull an elastic only so far before it gives away and breaks. Humans, leave aside children, work under pressure till a limit before they reach the breaking point. Parents should realize this and set a goal that is attainable and for which they want to push their children. At the same time they should realize that they are pushing the children for all the correct reasons.

Parents should not push their children because,

(A) It is a competition with the children of the people they know

(B) They couldn't succeed in life and think that if their child is pushed he/she can achieve what they couldn't

(C) The parents think that their child's failure would reflect badly on their image

Parents should realize that there is no great teacher than life itself and even kids should be allowed to make some mistakes so that they learn from them. As parents, it is our role to ensure that our children don't make the same mistakes as we made. But be there for our children if they make a mistake, and show them the path to deal with it and how to move in the correct direction.

Parents should also realize that they don't push their children so much that it leaves a distaste towards learning itself. If that happens, then no Good will ever come out of anything.

I believe it is not about how much we push but how we push out children is what will make a difference. A few suggestions that may improve the way we push our children towards success and excellence,

(1) Ensure a Healthy Diet

What has diet got to do with pushing your child towards excellence? Everything! A healthy diet not only nurtures a healthy brain but also avoids distraction because of hunger. Today, when children and adults alike are becoming overtly focussed on looks, we need to ensure that our kids still eat healthy and nutritious for overall growth and development.

(2) Discipline

Discipline is the corner stone behind any individual's success. If Michael Phelps would not have been disciplined in his daily excercises, he wouldn't have created a Olympic record. We need to ensure that our children are disciplined in terms of what time they get up, what time they go to bed and at what time they study.

(3) Participate in their Success

If your children need help with their curriculum, be there to help them out. The help should not be in terms of just providing them answers but in terms of showing them the the method to resolve their problems. Participate in their success by attending important functions at school as well.

Excellence is good. We need to ensure that we guide our children in an appropriate manner so that they have the fire and desire to achieve excellence.

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