Love, Confidence And Trust: Invaluable Gifts That Parents Can Give To Kids

It was the time of my birthday. My happiness was doubled because I had also secured the first rank in my class. I demanded a gift from my parents and they were absolutely happy to present it to me. However, when I opened the gift, I was confused. I saw a medium-sized idol of Lord Ganesha. I was still a kid probably in fourth or fifth grade but I remember that idol vividly. The gift confused me because I was expecting some kind of PlayStation but seeing an idol kind of disappointed me. But since that was the first gift from my parents, I kept it safely.

Today, when I look back, the gift makes sense to me. I asked my parents about the thought that went through their minds while buying that idol. They said, “God loves kids and always protects them from difficulties in life.”

You might be wondering why I am recalling such a small incident of childhood. But if you see from my perspective, the moment was much more than gifting a child a smile. The moment taught me that my parents care more about my long-term safety than momentary happiness. It made me realise that their love and care for me were beyond my coincidental success. They cared about me and not about the occasion that ends at dusk.

This memory was revived when I saw a video of a ">parent helping his child play with the hoops. While other children around the kid were able to rotate the hoop, the kid couldn’t. But her parent made sure that she doesn’t lose her confidence. So what did he do? While the girl was trying to shake her waist, the parent rotated the hoop around her. This gave the girl a picture that she was able to rotate the hoop like other kids. It gave immense happiness and confidence to her and who was behind all this- the love of a parent. Cherry to the cake was the caption to the video which read, “The best gift from parents is love, self-confidence and a sense of adventure.”

Gifts Parents Can Give To Kids

Generation gap

In our society, it is not common for parents to showcase their love for their kids. Our ancestors have built a strict image of parents who should control the mind and actions of their kids. Children are expected to be scared of their parents and not connect with them as a friend. As a result, the generation gap deepens into a void that doesn’t allow either the parent or the child to take a step and extend the hands of love and friendship.

Love

However, when parents show love, it is immeasurable and greater than any form of happiness. Ask a daughter whose parent always hugs her Good Night and Good Morning. These small gestures are more than enough to show how much our parents care for us. Do you know why these small gestures give us big happiness? Because these gestures amplify the support and care that our parents always provide to us. It reminds us of every moment when our parents held our back- from lending a finger to teach us to walk to holding us when we lose hope.

Confidence

I remember when I was going through my first phase of depression, my father made me listen to a beautiful song that immediately boosted me with confidence. He turned on the volume of the song “Ruk Jana Nhi Tu Kabhi Haar Ke”. Even today when I feel low, I put on my earphones and listen to this song. It calms me down and boosts me with the confidence that I borrowed from my father. This is the second gift that parents provide us with. No matter how many times we fail, they always hold our back. They don’t measure their love for us through our success or failure. They always believe in us and expect us to not feel disappointed or alone.

Sense of adventure

Every parent wants their child to be safe and sound. And this fear stops them from letting their kids experiment with life. As a result, many kids feel suffocated and caged. Both kids and parents are right on their sides. Then who is to be blamed? The lack of understanding. Both parents and kids need to step in each other’s shoes and then take decisions. While kids must understand the concern of their parents, parents must understand the need for their kids to experience life. They cannot always keep their kids in the haven of their safety. They will have to let them go so that they return to what they love.

Trust

To love, confidence and adventure, I would like to add another gift that parents must provide to kids - trust. In our society, it is not common for parents to trust their kids. To keep them safe, parents always want to take decisions for their kids. When kids make any choice, parents neglect it as their naivety. And when kids act on their decisions despite this, parents accuse them of betrayal. But dear parents, it is okay to care for your kids’ safety. But if you don’t trust their choices and decisions, how will kids learn to make decisions or even trust themselves? Lack of trust will undo every kind of bond that parents and children share because trust is what binds any relationship. If there is no trust, love, happiness and kids’ self-confidence everything will be impacted.

Yes, some parents are not as good as how I have portrayed in this article. But we can’t ignore the good amidst the evil. If we focus on the good, evil will automatically be uprooted or even improved. Just like removing good apples from the basket that contains rotten apples, we need to clear the idea of parenting which is surrounded by stereotypes.

Views expressed are the author's own.