My father always insisted that I go outside and play. He felt it was important for me to be independent and like calvin’s dad, he felt it built character. If it wasn’t for him, the only memories I would have had of my childhood would have been of hours spent in front of the TV. It made me so angry then, to be forced to go out when my favourite show was about to come on but I am so glad now that he did.
Habits inculcated during your childhood sets the precedent for your behaviour in adult life. One of the most important lessons children need to learn at an early age is, how to manage their free time. Encouraging children to pursue a hobby is the best gift you could give them. It doesn’t matter if their hobby involves collecting insects or making a house of cards, if they love spending time on it you must lend them your support. It helps them develop a passion for achievement.
Children with an interesting hobby would opt to spend their free time as well as their spare cash developing their hobby instead of indulging in other potentially harmful pursuits such as drug abuse and internet pornography which they are especially vulnerable to in their adolescence. If they feel demoralised and want to give up when they don’t seem to be succeeding in their venture, lift their spirits by believing in them. Your respect for their choices will garner a similar feeling in them towards you and will help them grow into healthy, confident and secure individuals.
It’s never too late to develop a hobby for yourself either. As an adult, having a healthy hobby is equally important or we may end up spending all our free time in front of the TV or in a bar.
Most importantly if you share a hobby with your child you could create a bond with them that could weather any storm.
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