A child with a sense of inclusion and identity, a child that can stand up for himself and speak his mind without feeling intimidated. A child who is able to move and accept inevitable challenges and frustrations of life with grace is regarded as a child with a voice. They are, in fact, not afraid to take risks and try new things. This is a responsibility chunked primarily on parents. Parents who can give and respect their children’s voices are considered exceptional for giving their kids a voice foundation. It is indeed an extraordinarily important and demanding task considering that there has to be a striking balance between the concept of scolding and giving children a voice and choices.
Giving kids freedom and space to speak their truth is one of the most important psychological factors crucial in a child’s life. It could open doors to so many discoveries about who they are and where they need instructions, help, etc. Generally, children are habitual imitations of their parents. So, the easiest way to do this is to model as a positive parent so that the child copies.
Voice, in this context, is the guts and a sense of agency that boosts and bubbles up the confidence in every being. It measures up by enabling a sense of identity (that they will be heard and that they can impact and influence their environment), and the idea of being able to stand and assert when necessary.
Understand the Importance of Your Child’s Voice
Generally, when the importance of an idea is identified, learning to utilize and maximize such situations is made easy. Parents have to be conscious and endeavor not to impose their voices on the child keeping in mind that it is difficult to restore a silenced inner voice in kids. It is, in fact, a problematic aspect of therapeutic rehabilitation. Once the child begins to say only what the parents want to hear and not what he feels, he begins to build walls to manage the resulting panic, neglect, and loneliness, which can last an entire lifetime. You need your child to choose and speaking up independently and right from a young age.
Listen to your Child
An effective means of strengthening and enhancing a genuine voice is to listen and pay close attention when a child is speaking in a manner that shows that the child’s voice is heard. One doesn’t necessarily have to agree with the child. It takes virtually nothing listening to the child’s naive opinions so that he doesn’t withdraw and avoid using his voice in the future. So as parents, it is about limiting your voice and opinions, listening without fixing and judging, thereby helping and respecting the child’s voice. Real communication is somewhat hard but necessary. You would have to be mindful and create time out of the tight schedule for after-school hours, at bedtime, etc., to listen and figure out how these kids need help (in the form of guidance, advice, solutions, etc.).
Encourage and Acknowledge your Child’s Voice
The best place to find and develop a child’s voice is at home, where you encourage your child and teach them about speaking up for themselves. As parents, you should make the child aware of the fact that you admire and value people who use their voice and speak up for themselves. Children have different temperaments and degrees of sensitivity. Sometimes you have to take a step back, consider their opinions, and let them manage their challenges and adversities to build confidence (except intervention is necessary). Close and special attention should be given to children who experienced separation anxiety, child abuse, bipolar disorder, lived with a verbally abusive relative, and any other mental health condition. Avoid putting pressure on and overwhelming them, their opinions, and what they believe in.
Participation Within the Family
As insignificant as it may seem, kids want to be included and involved in parenting plans or systems of making critical family decisions. This will encourage and facilitate participation, self-esteem, healthy debate, socialization, teamwork, leadership opportunities, and cognitive child development (with parental supervision as required). Children are motivated when their opinion and gifts are appreciated and acknowledged. By letting them lead, it gives them the confidence to use their voice, express their skills, and potentials. Parents should consistently play through their kid’s world to make this easy.
Give Children a Choice
Offer choices that guide your child towards the desired outcome from an early age, as this enables them to understand the difference between good and bad decisions. Be consistent, but create a trend and practice around the choices you give to restrict and limit the child from going ‘off the wall.’ You could provide options like, “What would you like to have for dinner today, sandwich or pasta?” putting in mind that they also have preferences. Finally, you should help out when a child doesn’t choose or is finding it difficult to make decisions.
Giving a child a voice and a choice is an essential parenting tip to help raise a responsible and accountable child.
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