There are so many lucrative schemes which we try to invest in. Business minded people are especially on the lookout for such opportunities. As soon as they see one, they leap to reap its benefits. While there is nothing wrong with this habit, let us never lose sight of the best investment we can make in life: our children.
Grooming them to become good human beings is the most rewarding investment we can make for our future. It means that we have tried to ensure that the bond of humanity continues to strengthen itself. Of primary importance in this regard is that parents should find time for them in their very early years and make it a point to teach them high moral standards by setting an example. Often parents realize this when it is too late. A grown up child is not easy to train and instruct. In fact, as soon as a child enters mature age, parents must learn to let go of him/her and adopt subtle methods of correction when needed.
One of the biggest requirements of grooming children is to develop a relationship of friendship with them. This means that instead of embarrassing them, taunting them and snubbing them, parents should take pains to spend time with them and understand their weak points and shortcomings. They should then make efforts to help the child in gradually overcoming them, and at times learn to live with them if they are an intrinsic part of their personality.
One of the biggest impediments in grooming children is the parental ambition of seeing them on a high pedestal very early in life. They want them to be good all the time. Parents forget that perfection in this regard is an elusive target. In fact, when they themselves were growing up they had their fair share of mistakes and faults. The target here should not be “to be good all the time.” Rather it should be “to be good most of the time.” Even God does not require us to be good all the time. He wants us to try to be good all the time. In other words, the effort counts more than the result. Parents must therefore accommodate and ignore mistakes made by children and not expect from them what none has achieved so far.