Parent Wonder (GUEST POST by Abel Cheng)

Hello Everyone. I'm very pleased to introduce my very first guest writer.

My first guest writer is Abel Cheng. He is the founder of Parent Wonder and a stay-at-home dad. How cool is that! Besides helping Abel to connect with other parents, the web site's aim is to help parents raise kids in the most enjoyable manner.

I am a frequent visitor and subscriber to his website and I always learn something new when I'm there. I hope you'll take a moment to read this very informative post and I think you'll agree with me, we can all LEARN from Children! Please feel free to link to this post! The more the merrier!

"What Children Can Teach Us about Life and Happiness: The Six Forgotten Lessons"

By Abel Cheng

Oftentimes, we always think that parents should set good examples for children to learn. Which, I think, is not always right.

Let’s reverse the roles for a moment, let your child become your teacher. I believe one of the reasons why we have children is they are here to teach us. We parents, for some reason, forget what we used to have as a child after we’ve grown up.

Partly maybe because of peer pressure or we simply get out of tune with ourselves due to busy schedule.

Whatever it is, what we forget is important for us to live a happy and fulfilling life. Here are the lessons we should learn from children, especially toddlers and preschoolers.


Live in the present:
Next time when your children play, observe how they play. They are totally engrossed in the activity! Nothing can distract them. They do it until they are bored or finish doing what they need to do. Very hardly that they jump around doing different things simultaneously. They enjoy every second to the fullest.

Do you rush through your day without having enjoyed it? Do you remember the taste of your lunch today? Be present and focus on your task at hand. Make the most out of every thing you do. Don’t multi-task especially when you talk to someone you care the most, pay 100% full attention to them.


No prejudice:
You don’t hear children say, “I am NOT going to play with you because you have a birthmark on your face.” Children make friends with everybody. Regardless of skin color, religion, health, or wealth. They treat everybody the same.

You should do the same too. Don’t prejudge people by the look or the differences they have. Treat people with equality and respect.


Simplicity:
My daughter once played with little wild flowers she plucked from the garden. She examined them like she had just stumbled upon a diamond the size of an ostrich egg. She arranged them in a cup anyway she could imagined. Who would have thought a bunch of wild flowers could do such wonders!

Whatever you give to children, they enjoy, treasure and live with it. They don’t ask for branded clothes. They don’t need expensive toys to make their day (unless you pamper them).

Do you have a to-do list that is getting longer and longer that you can’t seem to catch up? Do you feel restless and exhausted? Do you run around like a chicken without a head? It’s time to stop and smell the roses. Stop the clutter. Learn to say no and focus on the vital few. Live simply and enjoy the simplest things in life.


Forgive and forget:
If you make your child angry, chances are he will not hate you for more than one day. Moments later, he would come and play with you again, as if nothing has happened. Children are quick to forget and forgive, they don’t harbor negative feelings like hatred and anger for long.

Do you still hate your parents for what they did long time ago? Or your boyfriend who dumped you for another girl? Why don’t you learn from our children to forgive and forget, leave the emotional baggage behind and move forward. You feel good about yourself if you have a big heart.

Constant learning:
My toddler son seems to get excited by everything he sees, hears and touches. Nothing fails to amaze this little boy who soaks up everything and learns like a sponge. Curiosity makes children want to know how things around them work: why water looks like water, why fire burns and why flowers grow.

To live is to learn. When was the last time you learned something new? Learning new things gives you excitement and satisfaction. You can pick up a new language, learn to play guitar, go to a new place or simply read a new book today.

Playfulness:
To children, everything is game. They can make the most mundane of things as exciting as new toys. Young children never say, “Mom, I’m bored and will you put some excitement into my life please.”

As we grow up, we tend to forget to play and we get too serious about ourselves. The essence is to have a playful mind and make things fun even though you’re doing some thing mundane like washing dishes or mowing the lawn. Lighten up and rediscover the child within you.

Thank you again Abel for a thought provoking article!

You can read Abel Cheng’s other articles on parenting at Parent Wonder

Please be sure and tell your friends about Parent Wonder!

Question: What are your thoughts on this post?