| Kids need parents, not 'Adult Friends' | |||||||
| by BUDDY AMATO | |||||||
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Children don't need their parents to be their friends. You cannot be a parent and be your child's 'buddy'. As a parent, you need to provide the structure in your child's life that they need to exist within. "Structure" means discipline. If a child does not have discipline, then they cannot succeed. Parents need to be the ones to provide some form of discipline to their children. They need a time to go to bed. They need to maintain good hygiene. Children need to study to get good grades. Kids have to be kept on a diet that is healthy so they can grow up to their fullest potential. When children act inappropriately, they have to know that the behavior is wrong. If they are not corrected, they will begin to believe that inappropriate behavior is acceptable. Adults who act inappropriately grow up from young people who act inappropriately and are not disciplined about how to behave. The point is that children cannot have their way all the time about everything. A parent is not doing a child any favors by allowing them to buy whatever they want whenever they want. Parents are not helping children by letting them not do their homework. Sometimes, children need prompting and they need supervision, and the parents have to be the ones to provide that supervision. I see parents who are not as strong as they need to be in their dealings with their children. They think that, because they love them, they want to give them everything they can and help them avoid as much responsibility as possible. This is not much of a theory, and the practice of this theory creates adults who have no sense of responsibility, or a very diminished one. In my karate school, I see children who are literally in the drivers seat when it comes to their parents. These children usually do not stay very long. The reason for this is because karate in an art that requires basic courtesy, respect for yourself and others, and a basic level of commitment. When a child has his or her way for too long, they are not learning good life skills: They are learning that they can have their way whenever they want. But, that just isn't life. Children need structures and parents need to be parents. Buddy Amato is a Hazlet business owner, who operates Amato's Karate and Weapons Academy. For more information, call (732) 671-9555.
Copyright Buddy Amato Amato's Goju-ryu Karate, Nunchaku, Bo-staff, Aikido, Sword, Kendo, Sais, Kick-boxing, Tai-Chi and more 589 Palmer Ave, Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom, NJ 07734 (732) 671-9555 |
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