Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How do parents' own biases impact their children?

Much of the time this occurs unconsciously. Parents, in their own behavior - the amount of time spend with each kid, the body contact with them and body language - convey a lot that kids see and feel even though they do not express/say it out. Other times, it can be more obvious, when one seems to be more intelligent/better looking than the other.

In fact, It is honorable for parents to acknowledge that they have bias, and this is not something to be ashamed of. Reflecting upon personal bias can mean admitting or acknowledging shortcomings - and admitting that you need help to address those issues. Is this a difficult thing to get parents to do? Most of the times, parents got into self deception and shut themselves off from other's comments and advice...

Things became worse when both parents showed favouritism towards the same kid, and there is no one to remind us. How do we expect siblings to be close when they don't even live under the same roof? How do we expect siblings to love each other when parents are not showing a good example. To say we love our children is easy, so let's ask ourselves how much quality time we spend on them during the weekends? The best quality time is actually sleeping time, where most parents neglected this.

The consequences are serious when time goes by. We might not feel the impact now, but i guarantee, you will regret when you see your child being despised and look down on by the other/the rest. Pardon me for being blunt, but to all parents: If you cannot even handle one child, then don't go for a second one. If you think 2 children is a big burden, then just stick with two. These are our children, so take ownership. Leaving all day at grandparent's house is just going to show how irresponsible we are. It is fine to leave there during daytime, because we need to work. But during weekend, we should fully take over and handle them.

We must bear in mind. If you are biased and show favouritism/unfairness, GOD will just take away everything from you. Yes, everything.