General
Don't Raise Your Child in an Aquarium
Parents are not their children’s guardians in this world. You are merely your child’s guide. Instead of doing things for them, guide them. Give them responsibilities. Don’t overlook them just because they’re young. Be there to help, but in a way that guides them… They will learn to stand on their own two feet, and you will always be there to guide them.
Never forget that your child is an individual. An individual with their own character, their own emotions, their own desires, their own genetic makeup, their own brain, and their own personality… You must respect their desires and their personality. Unfortunately, the biggest mistake families make is being overly protective. You can’t raise a child in a bubble or wrap them in cotton.
Don’t let your child grow up in a fishbowl. For example, let’s say we have a fish in a fishbowl. If you release that fish—which was raised in the fishbowl and has never experienced the ocean—into the ocean… will it be able to survive? Fish raised in a fishbowl die within a minute of being released into the ocean. Similarly, when you isolate your child from everything and create a different environment for them, your child may become antisocial.
One Day, He'll Get Out, Too!
If we don’t let our children go outside—just as in this example—for reasons like not wanting them to get dirty or get into fights, and if we prevent them from gaining life experiences, we’ll make it harder for them to adapt to real life. Know that your child will grow up one day and go out into the world.
Let your child learn to share, learn about love, learn to engage in dialogue, and learn to communicate with others from a young age. All of these are instilled at a young age.
If you raise your child in a glass bubble out of a desire to protect them, it won’t do them any good. On the contrary, you’ll end up raising a child who lacks self-confidence, is antisocial, and can’t adapt to society. A parenting style based on overprotective behavior can have a negative impact on children later in life. Let children experience real life—even the parts we label as “bad.” If a child faces challenges, they will rise above them later on. They will gain the strength to cope with real-life struggles. Remember, “bad” is actually good!
You Are Just a Guide
Being overprotective causes immense harm to a child’s personal development. If you raise a bird in a cage and then release it into the wild, it won’t survive. It will fall prey to wolves and birds. The same goes for children. If you raise a child in a closed-off environment, never letting them interact with anyone—and if you prevent them from interacting with others out of fear they’ll pick up bad habits—the child will eventually become antisocial and unable to adapt to anything. Children must be raised in normal, natural environments. They’ll get into fights, and there will be times when they need to defend themselves… You’ll be the one to teach your child how to defend themselves.
Help them while they’re studying, but don’t do the work for them. The child should do the homework. You’re not there to do the homework. You’re just a guide; you’re simply there to provide support. You’re not the one who’s supposed to do the homework; you should teach them that they need to do it and show them how to go about it. Often, parents take the easy way out and do the homework themselves. The child doesn’t benefit from that. If they’re getting dressed, let them do it themselves—just show them how. If they spill food while eating, let them spill it. They’ll learn after a while. When they do it on their own, their sense of accomplishment grows stronger.