How to be a good parent

We all have some people who support us and make our lives easier. We all have those people who love us no matter of how we are. We all have our parents.

When you are a parent and you see your child it’s like looking in a mirror, because our children are always our copies. It depends only of you how your children will be.
Mr Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and dear guests are you your parent’s copy?

Let’s imagine you all are gardeners. You should take care of your flowers. You need to water the flowers, to weed, to be very attentive with all your garden. Your gardens will look gorgeous and beautiful if you are really obsessed with your obligations. People can say with assurance that you are more than just a gardener when they see how healthy your flowers are. You are like a parent for your flowers in that case.
People can also see an ugly garden with dried flowers and dead nature. It means that you’re a cruel gardener and you hate your flowers.
It depends only of you how your garden will grow. It can be a beautiful one but it can also be an ugly one.

We have the same situation with all the parents and their children. Child is like your own garden and all the gardens are the same at the beginning. You – parents – get a new clean life and an opportunity to make it beautiful.
You can hear words *you are a bad gardener, your flowers are awful * and you can also hear some similar words *you are a bad parent, your children are non-educated*

LOGIC
What is the logic of children?
*Mum is an adult. She is an example for me. I need to copy her behavior*
That’s why you shouldn’t be shocked when you see your own behavior in your child like in a mirror.
Maybe we should think before we make any decisions or say something? What if your children will repeat it again and again?

EDUCATION
Another point of being a good parent is your children’ education. You can’t even hear a praise in your children’ address if they are non-educated. People always say: Don’t make your parents ashamed for your behavior.
Your children always represent your point of view to education.
The main thing is that fact that education isn’t just behavior. It’s also the level of your knowledge.  You can be proud of your children when they achieve something, when they become successful people. Every parent will be happy if his or her child participates in different contests and recives good marks at school.
It will help your children in the future.

ATTENTION
What about your attention and care? What is the first think that appears in your mind when you see an upset child in a very bad mood? I’m sure we all think that this child has some problems and he or she doesn’t receive any support from the parents.
You know everything about your child’s life, if you are a good parent, like a good gardener knows everything about his flowers.
Your children will come and tell you about their problems, if you also sometimes tell them about your life, about your difficulties and your problems. You give them an example by telling them your secrets. Just  in this case you can help your children and make good people out of them, who will be confident in themselves.
Avoid to tell your child: Leave me alone! I’m busy!
Children understand that you don’t want to know their problems.
Your child will never approach you and will never ask for your help and your advice.

SPIRIT
Next point is the spiritual education of your child. You should understand that it is very important.
Teasing a cat is something bad, but giving some help to another people is something very good.
You need to learn them that it’s not good to make someone suffering. We should give a hand to those need it. That’s the main rule we should explain to our kids.
Their thoughts and decisions should come from their heart.
You will be a very good mother or father if you could teach your child to act in this way.

NEVER BEAT YOUR CHILD
I feel a kind of repugnance when I see parents beating their kids.
Just think what kinds of thoughts live in their heads. They don’t respect you as a person, because they are just afraid of you.
Children will remember it for the rest of their life. They will love you just because you gave them the life and just because your names are written in their birth certificates.
They will remember every single evening when you came and made them suffer.
The most important thing is that they will hate their childhood, because all they could remind will be only those horrible moments full of pain. They will forget all the good things you made for them.

DON’T CONSIDER THEY ARE JUST KIDS.
Your kids are not just kids. Remember this rule till the end of your life.
Take all the decisions together. Let them have a part of the family’s life. They are personalities, small, young personalities. They can also think and tell you their points of view. The biggest mistake you can do as a parent is not telling anything to your children, because you think they are kids and smalll. You’ll be wrong if you don’t give them a chance to tell their opinion. Sometimes children can give you some interesting ideas.
Please never say these words: *You’ll understand it when you’ll have your own kids*.
You make your children understand that their thoughts are nothing for you when you talk to them in this way.
Just imagine a situation when someone says you’re nothing and your words are nothing too.
You’ll feel like you are worthless.
Never make your children feel it.

BECOME A PART OF THEIR LIFE
What can happen if you will never talk with your children?
What can happen if you will never play with your kids?
You will lose them. You’ll not know what they like to watch, what they prefer to play, what their hobbies are.
For example my mother understood that I liked to draw. Now I’m an artist.
She also always took care of what I watched on TV. My parents bought me some videotapes with good interesting movies.
I started to read very early. I already read fluently when I was 5 y.o. I liked books and I love reading till now.
Actually I have a video where is filmed how I read a book. My parents really pay attention to my life.
Never hesitate to play with your children. They want to be happy with you!


Dear audience. My parents made a good person of me. They didn’t give me just life. They helped me to improve my personality.
I’m not a mother and I don’t know when this moment will come and change all my life.
I don’t know if all the rules I told to you are good ones. I just believe I can become a good parent if I will act in this way. I believe you can be good parents too.
My dear mother is sitting in this hall and she is listening my speech right now. I invited her because I decided to deliver a speech on this topic.  I just said to her that tonight I’m having my last speech from the CC manual and she said she will come and support me.
I’m really proud that I have such a wonderful mother.
I’m proud to be your daughter. Maybe once I’ll become as perfect mother as you are. But now I just want to say *Thank you for all that you did for me* and give you a round of applauses.