RAISING A SUCCESSFUL CHILD

A successful person is someone who leads, who does not cringe at responsibility, who is able to handle stress, who values others for their uniqueness, who is independent, who has skills, and who is confident and competent about these skills.

Happy family life is an important ingredient in raising successful children because "success has its roots" there. Children who are secure in their parent's love and who see their parents being affectionate to each other imbibe this happiness. In turn, it makes them secure about themselves, people, and their environment.

Both parents must be parents to their children. Fathers, just as mothers usually are, must be involved in their children's lives, especially if both work outside the home. Fathers and mothers must be both authoritative and nurturing.

EXPANDING THE MEANING OF FAMILY
Hilary Clinton was right when she said that it takes a village to raise a child. And that village includes the neighborhood and the school.

Choose a good neighborhood. Studies show that successful adults were children who grew up in caring communities. Parents should find a comfortable place for their children to go out and play.

Home and school should help together. It would be ideal if the setup at home is the same as in the school so the values children learn will be stronger.

LIFE SKILLS AND VALUES
To enable our children to live independent lives, we should teach them skills that everyone should know, like doing laundry, cooking, washing dishes, and making the bed. This is important because it gives children a semblance of success. For instance, you can teach your 3yr old child where to put the pillow in the morning and when she does it, praise her. This helps the child's ego. We should build and nurture our children's self-esteem early on.

Aside from these skills, teach your children ethical and moral values but just don't overreact. Take the case of the 3yr. old who "steals". At that stage, children do not know the difference between good and bad behavior.

As children grow, parents can bring them into looking at the consequences of certain actions. Encourage your children to talk about possible consequences and lead them to more appropriate behavior. This way, you're actually helping your children be responsible and accountable for their actions.

GOOD ROLE MODEL
The TV ad is correct: children imitate what adults do. So be good role model. But parents should not think they ruin their child's future every time they make mistake. Mistakes are part of life. What we have to do is learn from it. Being able to pick oneself up afterwards is one of the important things we can teach our kids.