How do Parents’ Financial Decisions Affect Child Behaviour?

You may not really realise it when you’re a parent to your little one(s), but whatever you say or do – everything literally tends to impact them – positively or negatively, in small ways or big.

This holds true for all things that matter to you at that stage of parenthood; of particular concern is finances. When the responsibility of parenting falls over your shoulders, you start thinking about money matters more than ever.

And little do we realise then how our financial decisions at the time affect the way our children think about or deal with money as they grow older. This is why we attempt here to explain the long-lasting effect of our financial decisions on our kids’ financial attitude later in life.

How Parents’ Financial Decisions Shape Child Behaviour

Before we begin this analysis, it’s important to note here that as parents, we of course make decisions which deem “appropriate” at the time in light of our children’s future. However, we all are humans and we can’t be “right” all the time.

1. You stay on a very tight budget, always:

The result: you unconsciously end up refusing your child each time they approach you with a demand – small or big – toys, clothes, school trips, etc.

As they grow older, they start getting the impression that they’d be denied of whatever they ask for, and therefore they stop demanding. This can prove unfavourable to their own interests at times, especially in terms of career choices. They may hesitate or not even ask for financial support while choosing a professional course, which may leave a huge impact on their career prospect.

Always let your child know the reason when you deny any of their demands. They need to know why something they’re asking can’t be approved of at the time. Follow a cause-and-effectrule with them from a very early age. Most important, refrain from accepting all demands but never let them feel deprived.

2. You tend to overspend because you don’t want to sadden your child:

This is again a potentially harmful condition. Now overspending as a parent could also sometimes be a fallout of you not having gotten all you asked for in your childhood and this is why you don’t want your children to be “deprived” of anything at all.

Unknowingly, you tend to make your child feel at luxury all the time. They get the impression that everything they want and ask for comes super easy to them, almost like on a silver platter. When they grow older, they may not always experience financial stability and comfort at all times and this is when adjusting to newer challenges might get difficult. Besides, they may never learn to “earn” things through hard work.

Teach your child to earn what they feel they’re due or worth getting. It may be as small an item as an expensive pen in the market but tell them that nothing comes easy.

3. You give out in charity way too much:

You may be doing the right thing, no doubt, and also passing on the right message to the next generation. What you need to remember though is to refrain from the practice if it gets unaffordable. Don’t do it out of obligation and teach the same to your kids too. They need to understand the true spirit behind it.

Conclusion

It’s like walking a tight rope and the key is to maintain a fine line of balance between restricting and overspending. Remember what you do today would reflect years later and can either make their future or sadly even spoil it.

Importance of Early Childhood Development and What You Must Know About It

Have you seen soft clay? You can bend it, roll it or mould it into any desirable shape. Such is the personality of a little child. Right from the time it is a toddler, you can mould the mind and personality of that child to become a better adult in the later years. And it’s not we saying this; there is enough scientific research to prove this phenomenon.

Science says that the kind of learning a child imbibes from a very young age by being exposed to the environment around them has a major impact on their behavioural tendencies. And these traits tend to stay on with them not just through childhood but, sadly enough, for an entire lifetime.

Early Childhood Development – What It Is

And though the whole experience of raising a child may seem so natural and spontaneous, educationists give it a lot of weight and even have a term for it. They call this ‘process’ early childhood development. The stage where it needs to be clearly determined as to what kind of environment should be created around the child to ensure their healthy physical, emotional, and social well-being.

By environment, we mean the talks at home, either with the child or before them, the media content they are exposed to (TV, radio, laptop, mobile, or iPad), and the like.

What You Must Know About Early Childhood Development

Now that you know that providing good care to the child right from the beginning plays a very important role in their latter years, let’s look at how you can help achieve this.

Let the child cherish positive childhood experiences

Did you know that a petty but furious quarrel with your spouse before the child can actually tar your image in their mind forever? It may seem very trivial an issue to you, which you may forget later by patching up. But the impression it may have created in their mind about you goes a long way. They may even start copying your behaviour and learn to fight, even hit others, from a very early stage.

What we can do: Create a positive environment around your child so that they can remember positive experiences and learn the best things in life.

Keep them healthy

The very first rule of parenting, we don’t really need to tell you this. But unfortunately, our current lifestyle has made eating out a common occurrence, especially during family outings on weekends. The likes of pizza, burgers, and French fries start becoming kids’ favourites much earlier than it should be.

What we can do: Make a conscious effort to encourage healthy eating habits among them. Eat healthy so that they follow suit.

Takeaway

Providing a healthy, positive and caring childhood experience is not the sole responsibility of any one party. It is a collective responsibility of parents, siblings, teachers, and all those who can come in contact with them day in and out. It’s only then that we can expect to achieve a healthy child – both physically and emotionally.

The damaging effects of traditional way of parenting

Well, most parents feel that traditional way of scolding and punishing kids is best. Hey, if you are one of them, then think again. These long-established methods can have a damaging outcome on the young minds.

Traditional form of parenting

Each time your child behave badly or acts stubborn, you as a parent; treat your child to “reward punishment”. In this process, you threaten your child to carry off something that he or she likes. Some parents as an alternative of yelling choose to bribe their children. Nonetheless, parents must be aware of the fact that this conventional form of parenting can have severe damaging effects child’s psyche.

The harmful result of traditional parenting

Children do not build up a bonding with their parents
When parents are persistent, yelling and punishing their children to regulate they are in reality, creating a wall between them and their children. Tender minds of kids feel repulsive and move back from their parents. That touching bond and attachment that is needed in a parent-child relationship fail to develop.

Psychological problems

Children raised in an atmosphere where reward punishment is dominant, have psychological problems when they grow up. They are incapable to control stress and have a propensity to be apprehensive. Their self-confidence level also gets affected. There is a fair chance that these kids may even go into hopelessness.
Adults with a negative outlook
If your child grows up in the shadow of fright and panic, then he or she may grow up with a negative mind-set. In most unpleasant cases, they may even choose criminal activities and can turn out to be injurious citizens of the society.

The way out

Making children disciplined is essential, but there needs to be a change in the outlook. If as a parent, you are unable to keep control on your annoyance or irritation, and then just keep yourself out of the situation for some time. Sense the root due to which your child is behaving in a particular way. Try to address the source. Speak to your child in a strict but considerate way. Make him or her understand that his or her activities are out of place. Simultaneously you need to ensure that you are not too tolerant as then your children may take you for granted. Endurance and striking a right balance between firmness and compassion is the key.
For the overall positive development of children, it is imperative for parents to evade the habitual ways of parenting. Manage children compassionately. Happy parenting!