We live in a world of social media being king. Everyone relies on it for connections, finding work, or looking for a good time. Social media is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can bring people closer together. But there are also its downsides. Filters can make us look so much prettier than we are in real life. Influencers can make us wish that they had the life that they have. This is setting a toxic trend with our kids. It can lead to them doing harmful things just to get the love and attention they desire. You have to be the one to be there to stop the downward spiral before it starts. Parents love their children dearly, or at least that’s what is supposed to happen. Sometimes, that can go awry. The problem is that some parents love their children in the wrong ways, so to speak. You just have to know the right way to do it.
What is a Parent’s Love?
This seems like a stupid question from the outside. It’s when a parent loves their child more than anything in this world. However, this is not enough. How do they love their child? Sure, a parent can feed, clothe, and raise a child. This is not enough. You can’t just give a child food and that’s it. Children are not like things that you collect and show off. They are not your toys. They are not your pets or bragging rights. You have to give them your attention. They need to know that you are there for them when they need you the most. You have to be the one to be there when they have questions about life. You have to be there when they are in distress and need comfort. You have to be there when they are at their best moments in life. Do more than providing all of their needs. You have to show them right and wrong. Provide them with the tools they will need to grow up in the world. Parental love should not be conditional. You shouldn’t hold your children to an unrealistic idea in your image. You are setting them up for failure and disappointment that way. If you keep doing that, your children will come to resent you in the end. The same result will happen if you try to control every part of their life. Helicopter parenting is not love. Smothering a child will end up driving them to either rebel against you or not know how to live in the world. Parental love is a balance of keeping the child in line while trusting them to make the right decisions in life.
Why are Parents Love Important?
Your child is going through the stage of growing up into an adult. They will be seeing conflicting messages around them. Some of them will be positive while others will be toxic. Children do not have the developed sense to tell them apart. It doesn’t help that the modern world has blurred right and wrong even further. Your love as a parent can show them the way. Part of parental love is setting the kids up to grow and thrive in the adult world. You can’t just let the kids do whatever they want. You are setting them up to fail and be disappointed that way. So many mental illnesses and endless mistakes in life stem from a child’s home life in the past. Part of love is discipline. You have to show your children that their actions have consequences. You don’t want them to end up in prison or dead over something stupid. Sure, they may resent you for it for a brief moment. But they will benefit from it when they are alive, healthy, and successful. Parental love can help you be present in a child’s life. How much do you know about them? Everyone has their secrets. But it doesn’t help when your children feel that they can’t come to you for help. You don’t have to try and spy on them. Don’t try to watch their every move. All you have to do is try and talk to them. Don’t sound like you are accusing them. Ask them questions about how their lives are going. They don’t have to be prying questions. You just have to ask causal questions such as how their day is going and what they like nowadays. They might not always want to talk to you, but you have to present yourself as always available to listen to them. Communication may not look like much on the surface, but it is all part of parental love. It will help it to grow and become stronger as the years go on.
Why is Parental Love so Strong?
Growth starts at home. As parents, you will be the first people that your child will interact with. You will be the first to show them how the world works. There is nothing that beats a parent’s love. It’s the first love that they will ever receive. Parental love will always be the first influence on a child’s love. It shapes how they will go on to form relationships in life. Parental love will mold how a child will see themselves as they get older. If a child isn’t loved, they will never see themselves as anything better than they can be. They will end up making choices that could put them in dangerous situations all for that void in their life. You have to show your kids love for them to grow up and form healthy relationships in the future. There will be more influences that will come up in life. The environment and the people around a child will help with shaping them into the person they will grow up to be. They might even change as they get older. Those influences cannot compare to parental love. They can become the building blocks for growth and maturity. But nothing will compare to the love of a parent. Children will never escape from the unconscious effects of their upbringing. Sure, there are those kids who will grow up and rebel against their parents. But deep down, there will always be some part of you that shapes how they see the world and what decisions they make. Even when you are dead and gone, your voice will forever be in your child’s head. Your love will shape how they see the world. It is up to you to love them in the right way and help them to grow into better people in the world.
What is the Love of a Parent for their Child?
Love comes in many forms. The same goes for parental love. Love isn’t just words. You can tell your child that you love them, but do you mean it? Tone is one of the most important things in communication. The wrong tone can ruin a message. Texting and writing on a computer have made it harder to show your tone in messages. You can’t tell if someone is being sarcastic or not over a text. You can’t fully show love with just words. You have to back that up with actions. Spend time with your children. Be there when you need them the most. Sure, work and different elements in life can make that impossible. But you can try and put forth the effort to try and be present in their lives. However, being there for a child isn’t enough. You can be there and not at the same time. Don’t look like you would rather be anywhere else than with your child. One of the biggest distractions for the modern family is the cell phone. Sure, they make life that much easier. However, they can be a huge distraction from the people in front of you. There is a PSA ad showing the parents on the phone while their son talks about the school trip he was on. They aren’t listening to a single word he is saying. Don’t be those parents. You have to listen to everything that your kid is saying. They could be trying to tell you something that is going wrong in their lives. Being present for moments like these can help shape how a child will see you and themselves as they get older.
Your children need you more than anything in the modern world. Everyone always tries to seek approval and love from any source around them. You, as a parent, have to be there to show them how to love themselves and make the right decisions in their lives. Love your children with no strings attached. Be present in their lives. Don’t try to control every part of their lives. Listen and try to communicate with them. Anyone can create and give birth to children. You have to put in the work of loving and developing them into being excellent and successful people.
