KNOW YOUR CHILD (IS YOUR CHILD A DAGGER OR A SWORD?) 5

HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR SWORD CHILD 

In this concluding part of the five-part series on knowing your child, I will show you some things to do if you have a sword child.

Swords are long and sharp on both edges. Your sword child loves to do things alone and can have fun with herself even when you are away. They are exciting and energetic children, but they could use your help in some ways.  These are some ways you can help them:

1. Provide guidance and structure: One of my children loves to do everything without my help but sometimes gets stuck halfway. For such children, it is crucial to establish clear boundaries and expectations to help them navigate their independence while maintaining a sense of structure. Let them be free to do what they want within the confines of the systems you have created. You can jump all you want as long as it is not on my chair! You can wash your clothes as long as you will do it thrice. Let them be the boss within the structure you have created. 

2. Encourage reflection: Teach them to consider the consequences of their actions and to think critically before making decisions. If you don't teach them to Selah (Pause and think), they will act without thinking of the consequences. Teach them to reflect on their past, present and future actions. Guide them to weigh the pros and cons before taking the plunge. While the dagger child is reluctant to take risks, the sword child is a born risk taker, and you must make them understand that not all risks are worth taking. 

3. Foster self-discipline:  Sword children love taking risks which is a highly needed and commendable trait. While the dagger child will take a while to start something new, the sword child would have started a hundred and one. However, they might not finish one! You have to make your child understand the importance of finishing what they started and finishing well. Make them know that starting is great, but finishing is better. Help them develop self-discipline by teaching time management, setting goals, and establishing routines. Also, guide them to finish what they started. If you have a sword child like me, you will realise that they hardly finish their food in one sitting or sometimes don't finish it at all 😁. 

4. Teach them empathy and compassion: A sword child can be sharp-tongued and cut others deeply when they don’t learn to include others in their world. Teach your child to value the opinions of others and to listen to others. Make them see the importance of including others in their decision-making process. If you raise a sword boy child without guidance, he will become a husband who does everything without considering his wife's opinion and input.

5. Teach them good leadership skills: Your sword child is a born leader, but this doesn’t necessarily mean she is a good leader. You have to teach her good leadership skills like effective communication, which includes active listening, finishing strong and learning to include others in decision-making. If you don’t teach them, they will ride roughshod on others, not caring how they feel. Sword children are thinkers, and they should be taught to feel more.

You need to strike a balance between granting independence and offering guidance to ensure your sword child's well-being, safety, and emotional development. They will do more harm than good if you leave them to themselves and don’t nurture them well.

As parents, we must study and know our children because we can’t improve what we don’t know. Knowing your child is very important, and knowing that child begins with knowing God and yourself. 

Remember, every child is unique, and these descriptions are generalised. You can even discover a mix of the dagger and sword in your child. It's crucial to adapt your parenting approach based on your child's individual needs and temperament and find a balance that encourages both independence and guidance for your child's overall development. I pray you will convert this knowledge to wisdom to help your child become all that God intends.

Feel free to read my other posts, and let me know what you think in the comment section.

My next series will focus on parents. What kind of parent are you? Let's find out in the next series.