Coaching for Change

Leaders are not born. They are groomed patiently in their formative years. We moderns parents, however, might be hampering this in our enthusiasm to protect our child. Here I share one of the many examples I often come across. A parent’s anxiety on one of the many parents Whatsapp groups I am part of: “Yesterday my child, who is in Grade 8, was told by his teacher that he cannot eat his lunch in the classroom. Apparently, it was against the school policy. He made him eat outside the classroom in areas with benches with shades. I was shocked when I heard this from my child. That’s so cruel. Eating out in the open with no aircon and all the bugs around. My child did not eat a single bite yesterday and came back cranky and hungry. It is absolutely not acceptable. Did you guys know about this policy?”   The discussion that followed attacked the school and the teacher directly. I was shocked to see the overprotectiveness of the paren...

Traveling with children during vacations provides a wonderful opportunity to make children think and develop : -Planning Skills - Problem Solving Skills - Decision Making Skills. Instead of making them passive tourists while parents decide the places to visit, involving children in deciding the places to visit can be fun for both the parties. Get each member of the family to : 1. List out which places to visit 2. Best route and transport to get there. 3. Choose one place from each member’s list. The whole experience gives them a feel of what it is like to lead others and take responsibility for their decision. In the end, while it leaves them with a sense of empowerment, it creates memories and stories to cherish for a lifetime.