YOUR CHILD OR YOUR NEIGHBORS CHILD?

Seeing children playing around gives this undefined warmth to people. If you happen to be passing out time at the mall...it takes longer for you to get bored if you watch them goofing around with each other, playing alone with something so simple but they find truly interesting, or even just to see two tiny people conversing in their own way, in their own world. They look so innocent, so vulnerable that we somehow have this feeling of wanting to protect them...and in the same manner we have this tiny longing to be in their world where the greatest worry alone is how to make that set of blocks stand firm and not fall.

So little, so fragile. All we want to do is to please them and see those wonderful smile or hear the contagious giggling. BUT its not always sunshine...there also is a gloomy day after all. If they have their up's they also have their down's. And if you are a parent this is when you can most identify the "parent in the child". If it is your kid, this is when you see yourself in your kid. At this time you can see how they react to things. This is when you get to analyze if you were good enough in raising and training them or if you are failing and needs to reassess your methods.

Remember always that you are their mentor, you are their inspiration. Therefore who you are and what you are reflects on them. If you are always stressed and difficult, they will be stressed and difficult as well. If its always anger and punishment given them, they will also be angry all the time and be defensive for your treatment of them. But if you are calm, if you are more of a teacher than a "punisher", if you would talk to them, if you would behave as you want them to behave...you will witness learning. You will see the appropriate feedback, you will recognize proper upbringing.

They will be the image of what you are.

It is not the child to be blamed for how they turn out to be but those who raised and guided them. There may be factors like your neighbors, their classmates, their friends...but then again, you should know better. They will exist and you have to make your child learn how to live with them but not necessarily be like them. And it will all depend on the foundation...and that will be DEPENDENT ON YOU. He is your child and not your neighbors child. You molded him to who he became to be. You deserve all the pat on the back (or all the blame).