Helping Our Children's Needs be Meet Through Parenting

   Have you ever for the first time meet the parent of a friend or roommate and then afterwords understood that individual a lot better? Or maybe after spending a week with your in laws you understand a lot better why your spouse is the way they are. We are greatly influenced by our parents and we are the way we are because of them. However, we are not just the way we are because of our genes that run in the family but we are also influenced greatly by the ways that our parents raise us and parent. Every parent has goals for there children. These may be things such as helping our children to have healthy relationships, make decisions on there own, and to get a good education. We can best help our children to obtain these goals by how we raise our children and teach them through our parenting. By reaching the needs of our children we can help them to obtain the goals that everyone want for there loved ones and there children. I would like to discuss what these needs our, how we can meet them through good parenting.
   Most of us have heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This basically shows that some needs are more important than others. For example we can live longer without food than without water. Well there are a lot of other needs that we as humans need and needs that are especially important to a developing child. One of the important needs that a child need of belonging and contact with others. If you think about it this is why one of the hardest forms of punishment for an individual is to be isolated from others. We as humans need contact with others to develop healthily and to survive. The second need that our children have is of power. No they do not need to be a supper hero to make it ok in this world, and they do not need to be the head of the house hold. When I mean by children having power is that children need to have some autonomy and to be able to make decisions and to contribute and help others. The next need that a child needs is to be able to withdraw. This is basically being able to take a break and a step back. Another important need for a child to have meet is they need to be challenged.  Finally one another very important need for a child is protection.
  As you can see that these needs are not just for children but for all human beings. However, if we do not get them meet in a safe and healthy way then we will find some other way. This is why it is a parents responsibility to meet thees needs of there children. One thing that a parent needs to do for there children is to give them contact freely and frequently. Give your children hugs, talk to them, and let them know you are there. A little of this can often go a long ways. The second need to be meet is for power. As a parent we can help our children meet this need through the giving of choices. This can be as simple as asking them what kind of fruit do they want to have with there lunch. No body likes to feel controlled and children are no exception to this. Another need that children have is withdraw. Something that parents can do to help with this is to teach children how to take breaks at appropriate times and how to go back afterword and finish the tasks. If you think about the purpose of time outs in sports it is not to waste time or to goof off. It is often time to take a step back and evaluate before going back to the game at full speed. We to can take time outs while working at our homes. As mentioned before a child needs to be challenged. A way that a parent can do this is through helping our children develop skills and interests that will help them accept challenges and to be challenged. Some good possibilities are activities such as sports, music, and dance. One of the final things that a parent needs to do to meet the needs of there children is to teach and practice forgiveness and assertiveness. This is something that  will help children feel protected and safe.
   Meeting these needs do not always come naturally however, they are of great importance. As I mentioned before these needs most of the time will be meet, if not by us then by some other means. Often things such as drug use, rebellion, risk taking, and revenge seeking can be avoided if parents meet these basic needs for there children. By meeting these needs we will not only be helping our posterity live healthy lives but we will be setting to go on and reach the goals that we all have for our children.