Avoid pampering

A pampered child...

It is very common to see parents pampering their children too much. Whatever the children would want, their parents would fulfil each wish. But they don’t realise that pampering so much will lead to weakness. The children start losing their confidence and forget that they are capable of doing things alone. A good example of this was recently seen when holidays started in schools after the annual examinations.

My cousin was also invited for a hangout with her friends. First she refused to join them as her parents had never allowed her to go out alone. But after a little persuasion, she was able to convince her parents and she was allowed to go out with her friends.

She was quite excited. As the friends arrived home to pick her up, she was given pocket money to spend with a lot of advice. Just before crossing the doorsteps, her parents gave her a Smartphone, not to take selfies, but to track her all the time.

She said, “I had never ventured alone like this. So I was nervous for a moment. But my excitement overcame my nervousness. Without my parents, I had only gone out for a picnic along with my schoolmates. But there too teachers were keeping eyes on us.”

The venue was the special Al Qasba. Everyone had brought mobile phones and money too that they were told to handle properly. Although they had gone to Al Qasba several times, on this occasion it had become entirely a new place for them. It was as good as any other picnic spot.

But this had also given them a new sense of responsibility. They realised that besides having fun, it was also an opportunity for them to learn new things. They all took care of themselves and spent the money carefully.

After a day out, she opined that every parent must to allow a child capable enough to take care of himself, to go out with their friends, because too much pampering creates weaknesses.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 14, 2015)