As parents and guardians, we must inculcate in our children the habit of giving and sharing with others. When they imbibe these virtues,we never can tell how far-reaching the implementation can be.
Some reasons children become selfish.
As children grow older, they tend to pay more attention to themselves. This is natural because they're becoming more aware of who they are, and at the same time, going through cultural and social dynamics. But when their self-awareness turns into selfishness, it becomes something that should concern every parent. Some causes of selfishness in children include;
1. Overindulgence
Some parents overindulge their children because they want to avoid feeling guilty, and in the name of compensation or love. This can breed selfishness in the children
2. Neglect
When children feel neglected by parents, they can develop selfishness as a defence mechanism
3. Lack of attention
Children who lack emotional care, tend to become angry, depressed, or anxious. This could could cause them to recluse, focusing only on themselves and caring nothing about others.
4. Jealousy
Jealousy breeds selfishness in the children
5. Acts of selfishness by people around
When children are exposed to selfish traits of people around them, they could also become selfish.
6. Lack of discipline
Children can become selfish if they live in an environment where discipline and boundaries are not enforced.
7. Improper awareness on social responsibility
When children lack awareness of their social responsibilities towards others, they will become self-obsessed.
Effects of selfishness in children
Selfishness in children can have multiple harmful effects on them. For instance, it can prevent them from having healthy relationship with others because they will only be after what they can benefit and not what they can contribute to the relationship. Selfishness can also hurt their careers with poor work ethics. They can become greedy, covetous, tyrants or bullies. Selfishness can mar children character and progress in life.
Curbing selfishness in children
Selfishness is a negative character trait that shouldn't be accommodated in our lives. Parents must, therefore, do all in their power to nip it in the bud before it gets hold of their children's life.
To deal with the issue of selfishness in our children (especially at a time when society seems to be constantly promoting it), we must, one realize that selfishness is a problem in our children. Two, decide it must stop. Three, educate and raise our children to be virtuous. Teach them to generous, humble, respectful, hardworking and self giving. Four, show them example of selflessness by our acts of love and care towards them and others. Five, make it easy for them to share by giving them more than enough. Six, enforce discipline. Have zero tolerance for selfishness; nurture and teach empathy for others. Seven, reward acts of kindness and charity to encourage and reinforce selflessness in our children.
It's not only children, every human needs selflessness
The willingness to spend and be spent for the sake of others should characterize the life of every human. We have been called to live a life of sacrifice; a lifestyle that puts the interest, comfort and well-being of others before oneself. Thus we should be willing to help and assist those in need, no matter how little. It's not what you give that intimately matters, but the love you put into it. A self-centered person will not see the opportunity to help others.
The world we live in today is already quite challenging and people need help daily to be able to survive. Some have burdens too heavy to bear; some are discouraged and weary in heart, some others need encouraging, kind and loving words to ease their suffering. Look around you, find someone in need and Doo whatever good you can make life meaningful for those around you.
Money is not the only thing you can give. You can also be a blessing to others by being friendly, speaking encouraging words, doing kind deeds, praying for others and much more. Because that is the definition of a selfless life.
Let's train our children as well as ourselves to be sefless.
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Happy moment friends.
Children need to be raised honestly and well from an early age, otherwise they will be out of our hands when they grow up.