I’m sure you have seen the light in your children’s eyes when you brought them to the beach, the indoor playground or the theme park for the very first time. After a tiring day (much more tiring for the parents, I presume), they will still be vying for more action!

To explore and play is your children’s natural capability!

Children are not a robot made to sit still, obey social norms and follow instructions. By exploring and playing, children are discovering new things and abilities, associating new experiences with old ones, and learning what is good for them, and what is not.

Many parents forbid their children to explore and play in the park or at the beach, where grass and sand “may be dirty”. I’ve even seen some children being barred from playing with children they don’t know. Parents, like myself sometimes, are also guilty of telling children what to do in an attraction meant for children…

The truth is, you should be concerned if your children has lost their capability to play and explore on their own!

So the first gift you can give them this season is the gift to explore and play.

Let them roam the beach and kick the sand. Give them the freedom to experience sand getting into their cloths, shoes and even eyes.

Let them interact and play with stranger children at the indoor playground. Give them the opportunity to set social rules themselves and discover if they are better leaders or followers.

Let them dictate which ride they want to take in the theme park, even if it means they take the same ride a dozen times. Let them learn the circumstances of their choices; that by doing the same comfortable thing over and over, they could miss out on a much better ride.

The essence is – your children will love it when you support and encourage them to discover and do what they want to do.

Tip: Amidst all the flexibility and bending of boundaries, you have to take note of something very important. Yes, support your child to play healthily but don’t ever forget to ensure that they are playing within safe boundaries. More on safety and protection in the next article.

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Jia Huey is a Life Coach who helps everyday people like you and me improve our lives in the areas of relationships, parenting, career success, emotional and mental health, psychotrauma, addictions, unhealthy repeated habits, and any areas of “stuckness” in our lives. She is especially apt at facilitating her clients to uncover what is actually unconsciously stopping them from achieving their goals.

Her work is based on Dr Prof Franz Ruppert‘s framework of Identity Oriented Psychotrauma Theory (IOPT). Dr Franz Ruppert is Professor of Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany. He gained his PhD in Work and Organisational Psychology at the Technical University of Munich in 1985.

Jia Huey has done life-changing coaching and life-empowering consultations for clients in Singapore and Manila. All of her clients have since found clarity, confidence and empowerment in their lives.

Jia Huey’s life mission is to educate more people in Singapore and Asia to be part of a safe and healthy community where it is okay to admit we are not okay.

The reality is that you are not alone; everyone has some issues however big or small in their life. However, in this day and age, many of us have grown accustomed to these issues… so much so that we have become numb to the stress and suffering that we had buried deep down, are currently experiencing, and will be facing.

The truth is, stress and suffering should not be a norm… your norm. There is really a solution!

If you or someone you know wants to have a healthy relationship or improve an area of her life, you can contact her at JiaHuey.lui@rhemaworks.com.

Keep a look out for upcoming talks and events at www.facebook.com/systemoftheheart.