Supporting children

Understanding the role that parental support plays in the correct personal and spiritual development of children is fundamental in the education we give our children from the earliest ages.

The support must be adequate, no more and no less. We must not confuse support with overprotection, overprotection is not healthy for the social development of the child and sooner or later it translates into the appearance of harmful consequences for him/her. Supporting is a secondary role, not a primary one. You should not overshadow your child's responsibility through the support you give him, he must learn to assume the consequences of his actions and to assert himself on his own merits.

During the development of this guide, we will be delving deeper into the topic of child support and how to carry it out in an efficient way that does not hinder their development and is useful in achieving their goals.

Supporting is a secondary role

As we said before, to support is to play a secondary role. Support is not acting on behalf of your child or overshadowing his or her responsibilities. Your child has duties like everyone else, has desires and wishes that will require consistent involvement to achieve. Your role as a parent is to support him, to lend him your hand as a friend would, but not to do things for him. If you do not allow him to make mistakes, he will not be able to learn, rectify and perfect his methods. We do not always do good to the child with our support, especially if it is disproportionate and disproportionate.

Contribute your efforts as needed, let your child use his own resources and experience for himself what he is capable of and how far he can go without your help. Stay close by to correct in an astute way, bring your experience, but let them make their own decisions and assume the consequences of their actions.

Avoid overprotection

While it is complex, as our parental love drives us to it, we must avoid overprotection at all costs. Overprotecting your child is an impediment against their personal and spiritual formation and development. You cannot block all the blows that come his way, it is important that from time to time he experiences the feeling of failure and learns to deal with life's setbacks.

When we make mistakes we learn to measure our strength, we are motivated to try new ways of trying, and we become hardened to the realities of life. He can't always count on you and you don't always need to be there. You are his support, but he is the one who is responsible and who must assume the achievements and defeats. Learn to identify where you are useful and where you are not, take an interest in your child's desires and help him to motivate and commit himself. When he really needs it, you will be there for him, but do not deprive him of the experience of learning and exchanging himself with the environment that surrounds him.

Don't fulfill his responsibilities

Continuing with the previous idea, try not to make your child's responsibilities your own. You will not always be by their side nor will you be able to bear the consequences of their actions. Responsibilities must be fulfilled by the person to whom they belong, otherwise he will not be able to learn the value of his actions or the need to be prudent with the things we do or say.

If he sees in you a shield against his mistakes, he will not become aware nor will he know how to give the value that each of his actions deserves. When responsibilities are fulfilled, commitments are more valued.