In Mark Twain's classic novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," this is one of the things he says: "he would have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do"; Twain continues this thought by discussing the rich men who would pay quite a bit of money to drive a four-horse passenger coach 20 or 30 miles, but who would turn up their noses at the opportunity to do so if they were offered pay for doing the same thing, because this would make it work.
This is a lesson that is extremely valuable for parents to learn; after all, there are a lot of parents who have a strong desire for their children to take an interest in reading and in music, especially because each of these pursuits yield big benefits when it comes to a child's mental and creative development; many parents also find, however, that they have a hard time stirring up their children's interest in these areas, and it is particularly because they fail to recognize what Twain pointed out 140 years ago: if children are made to do something (if anyone is made to do something, for that matter), this "something" quickly becomes work! Do you see where this is headed? Many parents who have a desire for their children to enjoy reading, and to enjoy playing music (each of which are extremely positive desires) end up driving their children away from these two things in the process; they will tell their children that they can play outside, or they can watch television, or they can play video games, or they can do something else they enjoy - after they have completed their reading, or after they have completed their music practice.
Hopefully you recognize why this is the wrong way to go! Instead of these being things your children have to do before they are allowed to head off and do the things they are really hoping to be able to do, you can turn these into things your children are "allowed" to do once they have completed their chores, or their other responsibilities; and what's more, you can actually make these things fun! When you turn reading into a reward, and when you make music fun, these will become things your children have a strong desire to do - and what's more, they will become things your children actually enjoy doing, instead of just being tasks your children have to complete in order to clear the path for things they want to do.
Have you ever had a hard time getting your children to do these things you want them to enjoy doing? Let us know your experiences at our website - and start doing things to instead make reading and music fun for children!
This is a lesson that is extremely valuable for parents to learn; after all, there are a lot of parents who have a strong desire for their children to take an interest in reading and in music, especially because each of these pursuits yield big benefits when it comes to a child's mental and creative development; many parents also find, however, that they have a hard time stirring up their children's interest in these areas, and it is particularly because they fail to recognize what Twain pointed out 140 years ago: if children are made to do something (if anyone is made to do something, for that matter), this "something" quickly becomes work! Do you see where this is headed? Many parents who have a desire for their children to enjoy reading, and to enjoy playing music (each of which are extremely positive desires) end up driving their children away from these two things in the process; they will tell their children that they can play outside, or they can watch television, or they can play video games, or they can do something else they enjoy - after they have completed their reading, or after they have completed their music practice.
Hopefully you recognize why this is the wrong way to go! Instead of these being things your children have to do before they are allowed to head off and do the things they are really hoping to be able to do, you can turn these into things your children are "allowed" to do once they have completed their chores, or their other responsibilities; and what's more, you can actually make these things fun! When you turn reading into a reward, and when you make music fun, these will become things your children have a strong desire to do - and what's more, they will become things your children actually enjoy doing, instead of just being tasks your children have to complete in order to clear the path for things they want to do.
Have you ever had a hard time getting your children to do these things you want them to enjoy doing? Let us know your experiences at our website - and start doing things to instead make reading and music fun for children!
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