Parenting Concepts (Part 1): Principles of “Learn to Earn/Learn and Earn”

by Kartina on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 12:34pm ·

After giving it a lot of thought, I realised that as a parent, for me, at least, it is not just the strive for academic excellence alone that will make my children understand life, at least some part of it. Their life experiences will be shaped by what we instill in them as children. They will view life in general and how their life is affected by their environment through the “eye-glasses”, “kaleidoscope”, “telescope” or “periscope” (whatever you want to call it) that we provide as parents.

I do not claim to have lived life to the fullest, there is so much more I wish to accomplish, like everyone else. I hope I am moving in the right direction. I am just beginning to understand a very small part of how we must facilitate our children to survive with the appropriate tools in life. Cushioning them from falls and failures is always what we hope to do, but it will not always be possible. One of the ways I see is by making ourselves understand how we interact with the world and allow our children to learn through these principals with our guidance.

As parents and sort-of facilitators, we should let our children “learn to earn” or “learn and earn” through most parts of their lives. Here I have put some of my thoughts in a more organized manner, mostly as a reminder to myself. Others out there, I appreciate any feedback or sharing of any anecdotes with regard to your own parenting experiences. InshaAllah this is one small step in my efforts to make my dream of becoming a proper writer into an achievable ambition.

1. Learn to understand that God is the Greatest power with powers we will never fully understand

2. Learn to seek knowledge and earn the right to use it wisely

3. Learn to respect others and earn respect

4. Learn to trust and be trusted

5. Learn to become responsibly independent in order to earn freedom

6. Learn self-discipline in order to be exemplary

7. Learn how to share in order to possess

8. Learn to save in order to spend

9. Learn how to give before taking

10. Learn the meaning of patience without losing it

11. Learn to accept some dependency before trying to become self-sufficient

12. Learn to fall and fail in order to embrace success

13. Learn to manage routine efficiently before enjoying leisure time

14. Learn to punish ourselves before judging others

15. Learning to forgive before forgetting to ask for it

16. Learn to self-evaluate before beginning to compare ourselves to others

17. Learn to appreciate what we’re blessed with before earning the right to ask for more

18. Learn to strive in order to achieve

19. Learn from the wise to claim maturity

20. Learn to strengthen relationships with elders before forging new ones

21. Learn to cherish the old ways before embracing the new

22. Learn that technology is a tool, not a companion

23. Learn that self-sacrifice is not about being a hero, it’s about bringing out the hero in us

24. Learn to deal with having fun the right way and going through grief gracefully

25. Learn that material possessions doesn’t maketh us, we make use of it

26. Learn to look beyond looks; superficiality does not last

27. Learn that humility does not make us a lesser person

28. Learn that the simplest things in life may make us the happiest

29. Learn to make a dream become an ambition and work towards an accomplishment

30. Learn that the world doesn’t revolve around us, we are a tiny part of it

Thanks for taking the time to read. InshaAllah I will put forth more thoughts when time permits.

Awesome foursome!