How to rear emotionally strong children

Accepting failures without blaming yourself can considerably reduce acting on the impulse of committing suicide.
Dr Seikhoo Bishnoi tells us how to rear emotionally strong children.
 

Dr Seikhoo Bishnoi (Associate Prof & HOD Psychiatry, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Haryana) attributes an increase in suicide among the youth to the belief that success can be achieved overnight and not incorporating failure into the process. He states that self-blaming is a major cause of suicide that needs to be eliminated. He explains that while achieving goals is an important milestone in life, failure is not the final step and should be looked at as learning. He reiterates the importance of re-trying when you fail and recommends the youth to seek the help of their family to help them overcome failures.

Dr Seikhoo believes that because children in India are not acquainted with failure early in life, they are more prone to develop a quitting attitude when facing setbacks. He attributes this to a cultural confusion between Indian traditions and the western ideologies of schooling. He states that children in the west are more aware of their responsibilities as they move out of their parent’s home at the age of 16-17. However, in India, children are with their parents even beyond the age of 26 and are provided with the facilities such as a home. He explains that if children never experience setbacks while growing up, encountering them suddenly can be challenging.

To prevent this from happening, Dr Seikhoo recommends three things:-

  • Impress the importance of facilities such as good schooling and even food to your children early in life and explain how these are not easily available to people
  • Don’t pressurise children to achieve academic success and
  • Learn to say ‘No’ to your children

Related Videos