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One of the things we aspire to teach our children is how to be productive members of society as adults. And this means shaping their attitudes and ethics in childhood. We know that our children have to work 10-times as hard to prove their excellence in a mediocre world. And part of that involves teaching children to respect authority, but to question it at the same time, to have manners and to work hard; however, we need to be aware of being too hard on our kids. Work ethic is important, and children learn all about routine (including getting up when they don’t want to and studying subjects that they don’t necessarily like) by going to school. On top of this, they come home and do homework, chores, and later on as teens, they often will work a part-time job.

In some ways, we have to be cruel to be kind. We need to put this kind of pressure on our kids when they’re young so that they’re ready for the working world as adults. But it’s also important to be aware that they need time off too. It’s easy to assume that kids and teens have it easy — they get a ride to school, they don’t have to pay bills and don’t have any major life worries that we can experience as adults. But it doesn’t mean young people’s lives aren’t without stress, and a demanding workload on top of high expectations at home, pressure from peers and learning about themselves can all be difficult to deal with. So while we want our children to be focused and hardworking, it’s crucial we don’t push them too hard. Giving them time off to relax, have fun and just enjoy being young is critical for their wellbeing. Here are some ideas on how to do that.

Encourage Hobbies

Chances are, over the years your kids will have a number of hobbies, and something they loved at one stage, they might grow to hate. While we shouldn’t let them just quit at the first hurdle, if you know they’re really not enjoying the activity, then don’t force it and add even more pressure to their lives. Instead, find something else they can do. Perhaps you could present them with a list of options and have them choose something they like.

Let Them Relax Some

None of us want lazy children, but it’s important for them to have time off to just do nothing every now and again. Let them sleep in an extra hour at the weekend, chat on the phone with their friends or just lounge around not doing much. You can find anime on this site as well as cartoons online if they want to spend a Saturday morning doing that it could be highly beneficial after a busy week at school.

Allow Them To Socialize

Time spent socializing with their peers isn’t wasted. Social relationships are really important for kids development, so let them hang out with their friends. If you have a spare room at home, turn it into a hangout with some games and bean bags and just let them spend time being kids.

Do you encourage your kids to take time off, or are you very strict?

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