“Self-reliance” or independence and taking responsibility is a behavior that a person acquires from childhood, and during the various stages of his life, and it varies between people, according to the life experiences acquired, and the family and educational support that the person receives from the family, school, and his working life.
| •The first step to encouraging our children to be self-reliant is to be a role model for them. |
When a child begins to rely on himself properly to do something, his self-confidence increases, his social and leadership skills develop, and he also begins to chart a path for his life and think about his future.
Some people wonder: Do children at an early age need more support and assistance or self-reliance? Have children these days become more dependent on their parents, their families, and those around them? Is there a problem that the child does not trust himself to perform a certain task? Or is it a lack of confidence on the part of parents in their children’s ability to do this work?
Whatever the reason, the matter is not limited to providing assistance to them on an ongoing basis or providing them with a specific skill, but rather we must pay attention and plan for this matter in a correct way, and the first steps to encourage our children to rely on themselves is to be a role model for them, and then involve them in making decisions and discussing them with them. In it, so that the child learns that there are consequences for every decision.
We must begin by looking at what is around us, and at the responsibilities that our children undertake and exercise, and what are the levels of these tasks, and the extent to which they are appropriate for their ages and abilities, and the type of challenges they face, and then we must research what tasks we can entrust to them in our daily lives, and what are the instructions. The appropriate time, how to train for these tasks, and the time required to achieve them, along with choosing the appropriate time for them, and whether it is sufficient to enhance their abilities and skills, or is it less or higher than their abilities.
We must begin gradually, in a practical and sound training manner, selecting the best expressions of encouragement and motivation, to ensure continuity and build confidence in their abilities, and begin training them on the skill of balancing between the desire for independence and the need to help others, because it is one of the most important reasons for their success in life.
Thus, we will develop self-reliance in them, which will result in enhancing thinking, leadership, and communication skills, and other skills and knowledge that will open broader horizons for building better relationships, and provide them with learning and qualification opportunities to be builders of a better future.
Director of Student Affairs Administration at the College of Educational Development
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news
