You may have heard that you should read to your children when they are small. You've probably also heard that you need to stay involved with your child. But do you know the secrets behind helping your child be successful?

Each child is different which means their needs are different. You as a parent know your child best. But if they have a different personality from you, or have a different way of learning then you do, then what do you do?

In retrospect it is easier to see where you went wrong with raising your child. But you want to get it right the first time, because you do not get a second chance. My son is 20, and I now realize that I was way too hard on him as a child. I wanted him to do his best, so I was always telling him how to do things better. Even though he is very bright and successful, I now see where this hurt his self-esteem. He saw himself as not being good enough. When I would compliment his work, I was usually adding, but why don't you do this... or it would be better if... So leave your compliments as compliments, unless there is a very good reason for correction.

It always irritates me to hear adults say that their parents pushed them to do the things the parents liked and wanted them to do. I'm talking about the parent who wished they had been a football star so they push their child to be one. Or the parent who pushes their child to be a doctor when the child is not the least bit interested in being a doctor.

I believe there are times when it is beneficial to make the child stick to an activity. If your child shows interest in playing the piano, then by all means, make them do their lessons even when they don't want to. If your child dislikes playing the piano, they are not going to learn to love it by you forcing them to take lessons.

What is it your child is interested in? Help your child excel in what he or she is interested in. My son loves working and playing on the computer. I did not have a problem with this because I would often check on what he was doing on the computer. He would play different games, but he also taught himself how to set up web pages. When he showed interest in learning how to program the games himself, I went and bought him a book on how to program games. His father and his grandmother always said he spent too much time on the computer! In fact his grandmother once told him he needed to watch tv! She thought that would get him off of the computer. He and I both thought that was an absurd suggestion. My 20-year-old son is now making $3,000 a month from web sites that he and a friend set up, and their income is growing every month. -- Help your child excel at what they like to do!

So Will Your Child Be Successful? You are the main influence that can help determine that. To learn more about helping your child succeed, sign up for my free newsletter at the web site listed below.