We know that you want your child to grow well and have a happy, healthy and peaceful childhood. We are aware that you would spare no sacrifice of any kind and protect him from all dangers. However, is it enough? The key to raising a healthy child in the spiritual and physical sense is in fact to be a successful parent.

From an early age, children imitate their parents’ behaviour and attitudes, or they or act against them by being stubborn. They may direct such behaviours towards an object or a person. For example, young children try to attract the attention of their mother or father but if their parents watch TV instead, they may feel negative about TV. Another example is that they may display a negative attitude toward his/her sibling or pet at home. The child may dislike his/her sibling or pet, which he/she presumes that his parents are more interested in. Or children may copy rude or aggressive behaviours of their parents. For that reason, each parent is an important role model for their children. Each positive or negative behaviour displayed by parents affects the characteristics of their children, in childhood and when they become adults.

Idolisation of parents by children affects their habits in time. For example, if you want your child to be active and have a healthy body, you should encourage him/her to take up sport by doing so yourself.

Your success as a parent is influenced by your own childhood, and the social and cultural environment in which you and your partner were raised, as well as the society in which you are raising your child or children. If these factors have influenced you negatively to be a mother or father, you have to spend more time and effort communicating with your child and work with your partner. You may wish to seek assistance from a professional.

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is to be overprotective of their children. Even though it is caused by goodwill, being overprotective can affect your child's development negatively. Getting it right requires a sensitive balance: being neither underprotective nor overprotective. Being overprotective can prevent the child’s development of initiative in the future, and may cause problems in their academic and business life. Parents who do not show sufficient interest towards their children may cause their children to display attention-seeking behaviour.

For that reason, being a “successful parent” means achieving a balance between discipline and love. As a parent, you should provide explanations for discipline when your child’s behavior is wrong, and provide motivation and incentives for positive behaviours.

This will help you to raise children who know their character, have self-confidence and a positive perspective, and can be successful and happy.