Vyacheslav Myasnikov from the Ural dumplings show tells about parenting: interview 2017

– I like being a father of boys.I play with all the toys that are bought for them. Because what options did I have when I was a kid? A couple of cars and an armored personnel carrier. And now you can buy radio-controlled models! All my childhood I dreamed of a car with a remote control that would go wherever I wanted, but, unfortunately, there was nothing like that back then. Now we have a whole garage of them, I test everything and then show my sons how to play. In this regard, boys in the family are good.Photo:Denis SaenkovBut on the other hand... I remember how reckless we were as children. And I want to protect my sons from the injuries we received making homemade bombs, firecrackers and other such terrible things. Once my face was cut by small glass, because we stuffed saltpeter into a light bulb cap and lit it on fire. All this exploded and flew anywhere, it could seriously injure. Well, and I remember other terrible things. And when we go fishing, I always show them clearly where they can fall into a swamp, where the ice is thin. Everyday things that will be useful to them in life. I do not accept the belt as a means of education. As a child, I was never spanked for anything. I was a fairly calm and understanding child. But they put me in the corner. Now I also raise my children without a belt. Sometimes I threaten, of course: "Now I'll give you a belt!", but so far it has never happened. And I stopped putting my children in the corner about three years ago. Because they are just as understanding and reasonable. We cured traditional childhood fears easily and simply. My sons have been going to karate classes since they were five. And I can tell you that they are already good at mawashi geri. For those who don’t know: it’s a kick to the head. That’s why my children are not afraid of a dark room or a bogeyman under the bed. They are completely confident that they will be able to beat the bogeyman, since they already have advanced belts. They are also not afraid of being left without their parents: there are two boys, and this doubles their karate strength. There is a punching bag hanging in the room, which they hit with terrible force. And I don’t miss the opportunity either, they are already training me, showing me techniques.Photo: @miasnikov.If karate training is correct, then they not only swing their legs, but also learn the theory. It is precisely in this theory that the correct guidelines are instilled. I teach oaths and rules with the twins, and the children understand what is bad and what is good. For example, that taking away someone's toy is wrong. I explain to them as best I can, but the discipline of the sports section has a much greater influence. We do not have a reward system in our family. I explain to the children that there are things that need to be done without any bonuses. Give gifts for the fact that the child brushes his teeth? No way. You can't immediately form business-accounting relations. He is obliged to clean his room, there should be no rewards for this. And I do not buy gifts for my sons at the first whim. Only if there is some event - a birthday, New Year, they graduated from kindergarten. Or a result in the sports section: if you achieve it, you will receive a reward. The difference between greed and thrift has not yet been discussed. The time will come when they will understand what they want to be like. You need to limit computer games, especially gadgets. It is harmful. My friends have children who sit with tablets and phones all day long. The result is a crooked back and scoliosis. Huge glasses, their eyesight is also getting worse. These are not people, but robots with poor health. Fortunately, mine do not have to be limited, they do not have time for games anyway. They are busy either at school, or at after-school programs, or in a section. If you want to distract your child from gadgets, occupy him with something interesting. It is not necessary to sit with him and play ball if there is no time or desire for this. Let him go to a section.Photo: @miasnikov.sI do not approve of fighting as a method of resolving conflict situations. But if someone is being bullied or some villain is making fun of someone at school, picking on them, you have to fight back. I grew up in a village, a real village – I didn’t come to visit my grandmother in the summer like a city dweller, no, I lived there all the time. I chopped wood, went to the well for water. This is hard work every day. But such conditions foster a stern male character. I hope I can pass all this on to my sons so that they become real men. Of course, I dread questions like “Where do babies come from?” They already tried to find out when my wife Nadezhda was pregnant with Nikita. They asked: “Where did my little brother come from in my mother’s belly?” He explained: “He appeared there because my mother loves his father.” He joked about something else, I don’t remember. They seem to have left me alone. Sooner or later they will ask all the uncomfortable questions, but I don't prepare the answers in advance. They will ask - then we will think about how to get out of it.