Have you ever wondered what unconditional love means? If there is one answer to this question it is- “parents’ love.” No love is greater than mom’s love and no care is greater than dad’s care. They are parents not from the day a child is born but from the day they get to know that they will soon be parents. From that day on, they just live for their child till their last breaths. The sacrifices they have made since then are commendable. We can’t even imagine loving someone so selflessly as our parents do.
How does parents’ love positively impact a child? 10 ways!
What would happen if your parents stopped loving you? Yes! I know. We cannot even imagine our lives without the love of our parents. They don’t love us because we are beautiful or handsome, they don’t love us because we are intelligent. They don’t even have a reason to love us. They will love us just the way we are. And this is why we call parents’ love unconditional love. For parents, their child is their strength and weakness, both.
I would like to share my experience when I realized for the first time that my parents love me unconditionally. When I was thirteen, my classmates insisted that I join them for a school trip. Little did I know that they wanted to be friends with me because they needed my notes for the upcoming exams. But my parents knew.
My parents tried to make me aware of their intentions but do teenagers ever listen? After a while, situations revealed to me the true colors of my classmates. I was so upset that day that I couldn’t hold back my tears. Despite not having paid heed to my parents, they were the only ones who consoled me. They reminded me every day that it wasn’t a mistake but a lesson. From then to now, I have observed multiple examples of parents’ love, their unconditional love!
But how does parents’ love positively impact a child? Let’s find out.
1. Boosts Self-confidence
Periodically, a child loses his self-confidence after encountering some failures and disappointments. They become unable to trust themselves. It happened to me too. I failed my first driving license test and was thoroughly disappointed. I lost the confidence of driving again or that I could clear even a simple test.
I came home, upset and teary-eyed. But my parents gave me the confidence that it was just one test and it couldn’t decide my fate. They motivated me to try, practice, and reapply. They showed a high level of confidence in me. It was like they were more confident in me than I was. And this is how I cleared the test in the second trial, not because of just my skills but also because of my parents’ love.
Evidently, the love of parents for their children, especially during their lows helps a child build self-confidence.
2. Become better Friends
Parents are every child’s first friend. Even before we knew the concept of friends, they would become our playmates. Parents’ love positively impacts how a child maintains friendships and what kind of friends they’ll have when they’re older. Every kid will try to find and recreate a similar environment outside the home when they make friends outside the family.
When I was a kid, my parents used to play different types of games with me, but differently. They taught me to play honestly and with unity. And this is something I believe to date. The way they shaped me and my behavior, is the reason for my choices of friends. A friend is a great influence on anyone’s life, and parents teach one the value of a true friend.
3. Builds Nature
The child’s first school is its home. They learn the basics from their parents and so parents’ love can create and build a child’s true nature. Kids can be stubborn, demanding, and immature. But there comes a time when parents start to discipline a child and treat them in a manner so they learn to adjust and become a part of the society than just being about themselves.
I am an introverted person. Whenever I went somewhere, I wouldn’t talk much. Of course, I answered questions, but that was it. Long conversations were not my thing. But my mom slowly brought changes in me by practicing some ways to get me talks and I didn’t even realize when I became an ambivert from an introvert. What do you think? How did she do this? Of course, the parental love. Parents’ love plays a very important role in who the child becomes and grows into.
4. Teach Safe habits
A parent is always concerned about what their child is doing outside the home, especially parents to teenagers. We all know the peer pressure during this age and parents cannot help but worry. But parents’ love is strong enough for a child to learn about their safety, being honest with them when something goes wrong and being approachable. But of course, that comes with parents understanding their child’s generation and giving them the confidence of trust so the child feels guilty enough when hiding something.
I was sixteen, and I was having half the yearly exams of my school. I was not prepared enough to write properly. My friends were also in the same situation as me. They decided to cheat in the examinations. As I wanted to pass the examination and not disappoint my parents, I also agreed. After the exams, my parents asked me how my paper went. I couldn’t tell them the truth about my cheating. So I stayed mum.
My parents knew that that something was wrong and said that if I felt the need to hide something from them, then I have surely done something that’s going to land me in trouble. Parents’ love and calmness throughout all such situations mold a child to self-correct their mistakes and behave accordingly.
5. Enhances Learning
Have you ever noticed that many toddlers cry when going to school? It’s because feel abandoned by their parents and cry about the lack of attention, care, and love from them. Eventually, they learn that this also a place where they have to adjust and get attached to teachers and friends. But some children also experience a lost interest in their studies after a few years? Why? Because they’re weak? Not really. A child’s aptitude may be a little lesser than his peers, but lack of support from home can also do this to a child.
Overly strict parents, too many tutorials, not sitting with the child for studies at least once in a while, etc. are all some ways that a child could feel unsupported. This is a major reason for the loss of interest in studies by children.
But when parents understand their child’s level and stop comparing it with others, the child feels confident enough to be themselves and not feel inferior. They enhance learning opportunities because they don’t feel lesser than anyone. Those parents who support their children in understanding the importance of education and those parents who lovingly accept their children’s capability will willingly invest efforts in learning something new that makes them stand out from the rest. Parents’ love can do that!
6. Trustworthy
Trust is the root of every relationship. A child learns to trust its parents even before it is born. Explaining trust would be easier for me if I would give my example. I am very friendly with my parents. Being friendly doesn’t mean that I don’t respect them. It is more about comfort.
My parents never made me feel uncomfortable discussing anything underneath the sun. They do the same with me. Why? Because there is the trust that neither side will judge or say anything mean. Having trust in a parent-child relationship makes the child a trustworthy adult and also someone who knows how to build trusting relationships. That, of course, isn’t possible without parents’ love.
7. Makes them Good Listeners
Talking is not just about speaking, it is equally about listening too. Parents’ love includes being good listeners to their child’s emotions and feelings. It’s not the age anymore when parents can order children around. They need to be heard. When parents listen actively with interest in their children, they also learn the same from their parents. Children will then replicate similar behavior outside, making them good listeners.
8. Setting Goals
Somewhere our goals depend on our family. Our parents have just some basic expectations from us- having a secured career, staying healthy, become independent, and being contributing individuals. They always wish that their children should be safe and settled in the future. When parents lovingly make their children understand the importance of goals, it has a positive impact on them. It also helps to be the example in this area, when parents share their goals and ways of achieving them.
The child will seriously consider the point. But things are different where parents force children because then they don’t see any worth in it. Parent’s love means bringing out the best in children, not expecting them to fulfill unmet desires/goals.
9. Tone of Talking
How we speak is an integral part of every conversation. Sometimes, one perceives differently what someone is saying, and so it is for the best that one maintains their tone of talking. There’s no point in raising the voice, saying mean things, and the like. Children respond better to calm confrontations and disciplining methods. Parent’s love means ensuring that their children also become calm speakers. Tomorrow, when the child is older, and they use a tone their parents did, they would be labeled as arrogant and rude. We don’t want that, do we?
Parents should teach their children right and wrong, but the manner of teaching matters.
10. Inculcate Family values
Teaching family values is a must. What includes family values? Having dinner together, discussing some familiar topics, spending some time together in spiritual activities, taking family vacations, etc. Families with such kind of bond are special and they raise children who recreate a similar nesting format. I believe it is a really helpful technique. It helps children understand the importance of parents and siblings in the true sense. This is the kind of parents’ love that raises the bar above for all growing children.
I learned from my parents, no matter who comes into our lives, but parents are always the priority. Everyone else might come and go, but nothing can replace parents’ love for their children. Be it when they’re young parents or old, children will always be the apply of their eye who they’ll want to look out for ever.
What are your thoughts on the impact of parents’ love on children? Share your experiences of your parents’ love for you! You can also share this article with would-be and young parents. Hit the like button below if you liked what we write and also subscribe to us so we can send you direct notifications of everything we post.
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