Janusz Korczak, a wonderful Polish teacher, formulated these 10 commandments for parents.
Don’t expect your child to be like you or the way you want. Help him become not you, but himself.
- Do not ask your child to pay for everything you have done for him. You gave him life, how can he thank you? He will give life to another, that to a third, and this is an irreversible law of gratitude.
- Do not take out your grievances on the child, so that in old age you do not eat bitter bread. For what you sow, that will come up.
- Don’t take his problems lightly. Life is given to everyone according to their strength and, be sure, it is no less difficult for him than for you, and maybe more, because he has no experience.
- Don’t humiliate!
- Do not forget that the most important meetings of a person are his meetings with children. Pay more attention to them — we can never know who we meet in a child.
- Don’t torture yourself if you can’t do something for your child. Torture if you can, but you don’t. Remember, not enough is done for a child if everything is not done.
- A child is not a tyrant who takes over your whole life, not only a fruit of flesh and blood. This is the precious cup that Life has given you for keeping and developing the creative fire in it. This is the liberated love of a mother and father, in whom not “our”, “our own” child will grow, but a soul given for safekeeping.
- Know how to love someone else’s child. Never do to someone else what you would not like to be done to yours.
- Love your child in any way — untalented, unlucky, adult. Communicating with him — rejoice, because the child is a holiday that is still with you.