Lalyet panch varshani,dash varshani tadyet |. 

PrapttuShodashevarshe putram mitrawadacharet 

"लालयेत् पञ्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि ताडयेत् / प्राप्ते तु षोडशे वर्षे पुत्रं मित्रवदाचरेत् "//]

It is easy for any parent to be mesmerized and naturally fall in love with their new born child and forget that children while bringing immense joy to our worlds do come with a responsibility for the parents. I am sure every parent out there knows how difficult parenting can be!

Some parents start worrying about teaching discipline to their child at age 2 while some think it is too early to teach discipline as the child is still a baby to their eye, but by the time they are grown up, it’s too late to teach anything.  

Most of us depend on what we learn from our own parents and some of us these days resort to search engines to find parenting advice. In this regard, this ancient Sanskrit Shloka give us some insight into different stages of a child’s growth and what and how should a parent support and nurture their well-being.

Shloka Meaning:

  

"Lalyet panch varshani"

First five years of parenting, Indulge- allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of parenting the kid.

“Dash varshani tadyet”

For the next 10 years - keep an eye, teach discipline.

“PrapttuShodashevarshe putram mitrawadacharet”

From 16 years - Friendship. Make friends with your child­­

It doesn’t mean that you have to wait until they turn 5 to start teaching the kids. It tells us to enjoy parenting while teaching the children right things at right age and not worry too much or too less.

But no matter what is taught to them, Parents are the role model for the kids, they pick things easily from the parents. So, if you are not punctual but want to teach punctuality to your kids, it’s NOT going to happen, you have to be punctual first to teach the same to your kids.

In today’s competitive world, It has become more important  for the parents to not just teach their children how to be successful in achieving their goals/career but also teach them moral values to bring them up as a responsible person for the society while standing up for themselves in harsh living conditions.

 Listed below are some of the important values I think that every kid needs to be taught by the parents in the daily life.

1. Faith, Believe in God 
2. Discipline 
3. Show up on time
4. Manners, Respect for others
5. Empathy
6. Love
7. Dignity of labor
8. Commitment- Complete the work you take and stick to your word.
9. Express feelings
10. How to handle success and failure 
11. How to handle finances 
12. Reading books
13. Take a break from time to time and enjoy nature
14. Arts and crafts
15. To pursue things even if they are afraid
16. To be themselves and stand up for themselves 
17. Live and Let live , Forgive and Forget 
18. Passion 
19. Focus 
20. Curiosity  (Nurture the curiosity that's innate in every child)
21. Cooking 
22. Importance of health.

While there are many articles/blogs talking about how to raise the kids, I thought of voicing my opinion too. If this helps someone, at least one, it would make my day.

Please feel free to add your thoughts/ideas/opinion in the comments.