Parenting Matters Now with Dr. Roger Smith

Teaching Children About Change | Episode 302

Like seasons shifting, our preferences and passions naturally transform over time. Yesterday's favorite color becomes tomorrow's passing fancy; today's beloved hobby might fade into a cherished memory. This evolution of taste is a beautiful part of growing up—and growing older—for both parents and children.This understanding becomes especially crucial when children face decisions with lasting impact. That beloved cartoon character might seem perfect for a permanent decoration now, but will it hold the same appeal in a few years? Teaching children to recognize the fluid nature of their preferences helps them make more thoughtful choices.Guide them to pause and reflect: "Will this matter to me next year? In five years?" Help them understand the difference between fleeting interests and enduring values. This isn't about dismissing their current passions, but about developing wisdom in decision-making, especially for choices that leave lasting marks.Visit me at: https://rogersmithmd.com/This has been a production of ThePodcastUpload.com

Duration:: 4m
Broadcast on:: 01 Jan 2025
Audio Format:: other

Like seasons shifting, our preferences and passions naturally transform over time. Yesterday's favorite color becomes tomorrow's passing fancy; today's beloved hobby might fade into a cherished memory. This evolution of taste is a beautiful part of growing up—and growing older—for both parents and children.
This understanding becomes especially crucial when children face decisions with lasting impact. That beloved cartoon character might seem perfect for a permanent decoration now, but will it hold the same appeal in a few years? Teaching children to recognize the fluid nature of their preferences helps them make more thoughtful choices.
Guide them to pause and reflect: "Will this matter to me next year? In five years?" Help them understand the difference between fleeting interests and enduring values. This isn't about dismissing their current passions, but about developing wisdom in decision-making, especially for choices that leave lasting marks.

Visit me at: https://rogersmithmd.com/

This has been a production of ThePodcastUpload.com

(upbeat music) - Welcome to Parenting this boat I have ever seen in my life. I was tolerant of the boat, but over time I have come to love it. And that's just a picture of how you and your children are going to change over time, and that your tastes will change. So, let's first talk about the food that your small child will reject several times before they ever will go. Actually, I like carrots. Whenever you're introducing anything new to a child, they first have to get used to the newness of it, the texture, the different changes, you know, whether it's a new toy or a new food or new anything. It's not immediate love. So, we see it in our children, but we also see it in our cells if we can be honest that there are things that we enjoy. And maybe not so much at first, but as it becomes a normal part of life, it can become a beloved thing. And for us and our family, it was kind of like reading books. At first it was something that I did because I thought it was something that the children needed. So, we would read books to them regularly, part of the bedtime routine, but it became a central part of the flavor, so to speak, of our family. And there will be things like that for you that you may tolerate for a period of time before it actually becomes a desired thing. The very fact that our tastes change, we had a principle in our family. And it was based on this idea that tastes change. And I would encourage you to talk with your children about how their tastes will change over time. And to them, it seems like, you know, a year is a lifetime, so it's not changing that much. But if they can trust you and you have regular conversations about how their tastes change, we had this principle, "Don't do anything permanent." So, we discouraged things like tattoos or major changes, you know, not that there's a law against any of those things, but because our tastes change, we encouraged them to not do something permanent. But everything that they did or chose, their fashion tastes will change. And so, whatever they do with their body, you know, you hear a hair color, you know, you may want a hair will grow back. So, if you shave it off or you color it, that's not really permanent. They may call it a permanent, you go to the beauty shop and get a permanent, but it is always, always said they should have named it a temporary. You go to the beauty shop to get a temporary, but nonetheless, the concept is train your children to think about the value of their tastes and how they do change with their experience, their personal growth. And it's a conversation to have with your children and your spouse and your in-laws, all the people just say, "Hey, this is the choice that we're making right now." Whatever it is that people are criticizing, it says, "We think we like this or we think this is the best thing, but if something changes, we'll change. We'll adjust." And the whole idea that our tastes do change. I love this old boat. It's ugly. It's just as ugly as it ever was. But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder or every beetle is a gazelle and its mother's eyes. There's all kinds of sayings that basically say as your values change, the way you see things changes. And you might love something that you once detested. Talk to your children about those things. How it's changed for you. They will love your stories. Even if they don't really understand exactly, they just love your stories. So tell them. Subscribe to Parenting Matters Now for more advice or go to RogerSmithMD.com to search for more topics. See you next time. (upbeat music) You