The Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato once said, Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. Rightly so, as parents we should allow our kids to dream big and help them achieve those dreams.
There was a time when parents thought they knew what was ideal for their children. Parents took all decisions for their children, including what career they should pursue and whom they should marry. However, now parents and children have both evolved and parents are now friends and mentors for their children. They are more sensitive to what their child needs and adopt a parenting style to suit the same.
As parents have evolved so have education systems and methods. There is no longer a standard way of educating a child, and children are being given the choice right from kindergarten to study and excel in subjects that interest them. Millennials who have risen beyond conventional opportunities and tread lesser travelled career paths than their traditional parents are now bustling parents themselves. Approximately 26 million millennials are raising children today, with these numbers expected to grow exponentially over the next few years.
Given the evolving dynamics of the society, children of millennials, known as the Generation Alpha, will largely be the most formally educated, technologically equipped and wealthiest kids. While it will be challenging to bring up these kids, it is essential for millennial parents to engage with their ward to lay the foundation for cognitive development and raise smarter and happier kids. However, the challenges of raising such kids calls for expert guidance on parenthood that enables parents to identify their kids capabilities, partner with their childs aspirations and accordingly plan their finances to provide them with the career of their choice.
Kids today are seemingly growing up too fast, making it more essential than ever, to consider the importance of nurturing their dreams at an early age. Parents must encourage their child to dream big and not to be deterred by anything. They should never discourage their child and instead come up with new, quirky ways to make the childs big dream more interesting. This will not only unveil their childs hidden talents and aptitude, but also help them discover various personality traits. Such observations will help the parents understand their child better, thereby making them better guides towards their childs development.
Thus, to provide children with the best opportunities millennial parents should explore structured aptitude assessments that include expert guidance and can be used to understand the cognitive skills and capabilities of their kids. Such assessment programs provided by trusted insurers like Aviva Life Insurance, through their digital platform Aviva Kid-O-Scope enable parents to partner with their childs aspirations and give them more robust and evidence based results to measure the traits of their children.
The cost of raising a child is increasing every day, putting more financial pressure on parents to provide for the same. It is extremely important for parents to plan finances in order to support the child when they grow up. Studies say only 13% of millennial parents place savings for higher studies as one of their top child-related financial priorities. It is imperative for parents to start planning for financial goals and invest into the future to help their child achieve their dreams later in life. Aviva Kid-O-Scope, takes care of this as well by providing parents with a digital ecosystem that helps them identify and nurture a childs unique aptitude and talents while also providing financial planning to ensure these dreams are fulfilled. As parents our responsibility is to foster an environment in which our children feel like their dreams are valued and they can carry on their free spirit and youthful passion into adulthood.
Anjali Malhotra is the Chief Customer, Marketing & Digital Officer at Aviva Life Insurance.