It may be a wonderful experience to raise a child, but any parent will know that there are sure to be challenges and worries along the way. As a millennial parent based in a country like Singapore, you may have tons of parenting resources available to you thanks to your family network, the Lion City’s strong support for families, and the internet. However, it’s easier said than done to be able to implement the advice you get from everyone trying to help you.
While you don’t have the experience yet to back up the decisions you’ll make, it helps to know which pieces of advice will generally serve you the best. To that end, here are some of the more fundamental tips that first-time millennial parents in SG ought to keep in mind towards raising a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted child:
1) Invest in Your Child’s Education
As a parent, you’ll be the one responsible for charting the course of your child’s life early on. Your decisions should be focused on opening up various opportunities for them so that they’ll have a wealth of options to pursue whatever they wish for, come the time they’re old enough to do so. Investing in a child’s education should be a top priority for any millennial parent in Singapore, starting with preschool. This is a decision that you and your partner should weigh seriously.
Singapore’s school system, which focuses on building a strong academic foundation for children while also emphasising their holistic growth, remains among the most lauded in the world. It may not seem difficult per se for you to find a local school that will suit your priorities and situation the most, but you may even be faced with choice fatigue.
You could consider enrolling in Kinderland, a trusted early childhood education brand. The Kinderland family extends elsewhere in Southeast Asia, for example Kinderland Preschool Pakubuwono in South Jakarta. Check out the latest news at Kinderland SG and get to know about the experiences you’ll be investing in for your child’s preschool education.
2) Make Time for Bonding and Play
Millennial parents tend to be busy folks. Both parents are often expected to work to support the family. But this may lead to a lack of bonding time with your child. As a first-time parent, try not to miss out on important moments as your child grows; you may never get the time back, even if you decide to have another child. Consciously make time to bond and play with your kid and give them the attention they need from you.
If you’ve got a particularly busy schedule, the best way to go about it is to set aside a particular time or days wherein the family can be together. You and your partner should then make sure to stick to your commitments. Weekends are common days for families to spend quality time, and this may still work best for you as well; arrange quick and simple bonding opportunities like a trip to the park to unwind or movie time together at home. Do also take the time to catch up with your child and listen to what they’ve been up to in school and with their friends.
3) Explore Positive Parenting
More millennial parents nowadays are exploring a firm, yet kind parenting style. Many are more aware of the consequences of “old-style” authoritarian parenting and how it could harm the child’s development or make them resentful in the long run.
Positive parenting means reinforcing a child’s positive behaviour instead of indiscriminately using punishment as a way to teach them lessons. This sort of parenting encourages children to reflect whenever they make mistakes and also guides them toward understanding what they ought to have done instead. You and your partner can also explore positive parenting paradigms for discipline, where each mistake can be a learning experience and not something to be afraid of.
4) Future-Proof Your Child
To future-proof your child is to equip them with the right knowledge and skills that’ll help them thrive in our increasingly digital society. While part of this still involves teaching them foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking, there must also be an emphasis on learning technological skills. Remember, however, that this isn’t just about how to use a computer, but also learning to navigate the internet responsibly and safely.
Your child’s generation may be considered “digital natives,” but that doesn’t mean that they were born digitally literate. It still hinges on the guidance of parents and schools to help them use technology to its full potential.
5) Nurture Values That’ll Help Them Grow as Well-Rounded Individuals
Lastly, remember that it will continue to be your responsibility to instil values to your child to help them become well-rounded individuals. It’s never too soon to raise them to become outstanding members of society in the future.
Early on, you’ll want to teach them values like independence, a sense of responsibility, the ability to work harmoniously with others, how to be inclusive, and how to nurture a love for learning, among others. Try to incorporate these values into how you interact with your child on a daily basis, letting them know that there are traits that they should develop within themselves and continue to do so as they grow older.
Being a first-time parent can be a bumpy ride, but it will be a rewarding experience all the same. With the tips mentioned above, it shouldn’t be hard to practise your own developing brand of millennial parenthood and to guide your child toward the future you’ll share with them.
