Bebo recently celebrated her 25 years in Bollywood at the Kareena Kapoor Khan (KKK) Film Festival with her fans. At the meet, she candidly shared how Taimur once asked her, “Am I famous?” as the paparazzi always kept chasing them, to which Kareena replied, “No, you’re not famous. I am famous. You’re a nobody; you haven’t done anything.” This sets a brilliant precedent for all new parents who want to help their kids build a unique identity for themselves.

Parent math

As a new parent, figuring out how to raise your kids is part of the struggle. You are at odds with whether you want them to be independent or always spoon-feed them. As a parent, especially a new one, you always want to be there for your kids, so it’s easy to blur the lines between being overprotective and protective.

As parents, you must help your kids ditch your comfortable embrace and welcome new experiences. However, this doesn’t mean you should deprive them of your love and care. If you are a new parent, here is some advice to help you raise confident kids.

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1. Let them experiment

Do you always step in to remove obstacles for your kids before they learn to overcome them? As a new parent, you are not wrong in wanting to make your child’s life easier. They can’t learn to walk without falling a few times. Let them figure out solutions while you stand around the corner to step in when they need you.

2. To err is human

Didn’t we all learn this as kids? It’s time to pass on the learning to your children too. Don’t scream at them if they doodle on the wall or spill juice on your favourite sofa. Sit with them and work like a team to fix the damage. Try different strategies to make them realise their mistake so they are mindful in future. However, this shouldn’t discourage them from interacting with their environment or be fearful about possible consequences.

3. Team up with them

This is the most significant advice for new parents — involve your kids in household chores. Give them doable age-appropriate tasks like putting their toys back in place once their playtime ends. This will empower them as they become responsible and self-reliant.

4. Be their number one fans, not critics

There are enough people in the world ready to criticise your kids; you don’t need to do it too. Every parent wants their kid to be a champion; you are not alone. However, you must cheer your kids in all their losses and wins. Sometimes, they act aggressively or throw tantrums that are hard to tolerate. In such cases, patiently make them alter their behaviours instead of practising negative reinforcement through anger or scoldings.

5. Let them choose

Don’t enforce your dreams on your child. Instead, let them figure out what interests them the most. You should encourage your children to try out different things before settling and working towards a particular goal. You might have wanted to ace badminton as a child, but your kid can love ballet more. If you were a scholar kid from the start, your 5-year-old might love to balance co-curriculars and studies. And that’s where you should come forward to help them find and indulge in other activities so they know what they like.

6. Connect with them

Are you a working parent or a busy homemaker? Make sure you take some time out to sit with your kids. Teach them morals and play with them. Moreover, listen to them patiently if they have something to tell you so they become expressive kids in future rather than anxious ones.

Parenting is a partnership between parents and children. Sometimes, you are full of advice for them and other times, they teach you more with their acts of innocence.

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