Important Parental Tip 4 – How to make your child emotionally strong.

In order for your child to become emotionally strong, you must firstly create a caring, nurturing and safe home environment. This will give them a sense of security and responsibility whereby they feel free and know how to deal with their frustrations, anxieties and doubts when they arise.

Once your child has experienced an expressive ‘melt down’ and it has subsided, approach them respectfully and gently ask them ‘What do you think would have made the situation better?’

By approaching your child and asking them this question will give them the opportunity to reflect from within and enable them to perhaps become more aware in knowing how best to deal with an unpleasant situation perhaps the next time it may arise.

Never force your child to hide their inner emotions as it will only lead them onto an unhealthy path of insecurity and self-doubt. Provide them the proper tools so that they can become more resilient and confident especially when it comes to knowing how to handle their own emotions with strength and responsibility.

Important Parental Tip 3: Use descriptive phrases

By using descriptive and specific praise will enable you to become more appreciative towards your child, this can make a big difference in your child’s daily interaction as they begin to display more wanted behaviour.  Typically, parents have a tendency to focus on their child’s shortcomings that may or may not be. Instead, it is highly recommended to focus on their positivity so that it will enable the child to become naturally more aware of what is acceptable and unacceptable whether at home or at school.

Scenario #1: The parent had promised their child a biscuit. The parent then became engaged in a long phone call. The child waited patiently for their parent to finish their phone call without interrupting them for the biscuit. Meanwhile, the child became engaged in another activity independently. The parent eventually finished their phone call. The parent needs to realize that they had made a promise to their child.

Outcome: The parent did take the time to notice and observe that their child did not interrupt them during their phone call. The child did manage to wait for the parent to finish their call while choosing to work on another activity independently.  The parent must convey all of this to their child and let their child know that they noticed and truly admire just how beautifully they behaved knowing very well how difficult it may have been to have waited for that biscuit.

Important Parental Tip 1 -How to make your child more responsible

By introducing simple tasks within the home environment will enable your child to become gradually more responsible.

Scenario # 1: After dinner, your child may have the tendency to quickly leave the dinner table while rushing off to play. Instead, encourage that your child helps you clear the table.

Scenario #2: Your child has enjoyed their playtime, although have left all their toys strewn all over the place. Instead, encourage that your child tidies up before rushing off and forgetting about their toys.

Scenario #3: Your child has a birthday invitation and is getting ready for the occasion rather than selecting their clothes and telling them exactly what to wear give your child a few choices whereby they can finally make their own choice as they prepare and dress themselves on their own.

OUTCOME: As you gradually introduce your child to these new tasks, they will become more responsible. Also, as they continue to make their choices it will also continue to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence. In conclusion, avoid taking your child’s independence away by doing everything for them; let them soar to new heights where they can begin to embrace responsibilities by themselves while thinking for themselves too!

Important Parental Tip 2 :Avoid criticizing and arguing with your spouse in front of your child.

Avoid criticizing and arguing with your spouse in front of your child. This is extremely harmful whilst creating a very toxic home environment. Your child will no longer feel emotionally secure. Remember, a child will always look to both mother and father for that emotional security from within a safe home environment.

Once this emotional security is lost, the child displays a sense of weakness from within, feeling anxious, lost and frightened.

Therefore, when a heated discussion may arise and differences of opinions may exist; agree to discuss it later without the child’s presence. By doing so, this will enable you to pause while giving you that extra time to reflect about your very own thoughts and feelings. This practice will help you to feel slightly better when needing to revisit topics that may be difficult and challenging to face during certain times.

Going forward, take time to reflect while breathing as this will put your thoughts, body and mind into a more relaxed and comfortable state of being; this will no doubt be more important than who was right or wrong in the long run.

Why we should not compare our children with others.

Do not compare your children with others. It is a very common practice amongst parents to compare their child with another sibling or other children; including their cousins and neighbors.

By thinking that giving this example to your child will make them become more motivated in either mirroring positive behaviour or perhaps matching similar traits, or even surpassing certain skill sets with these individuals will work, it does not. It will usually back fire.

Generally, children do not respond well to this. They will become resentful and negative towards the idea and also towards those people and sometimes even towards their own parents.

Consider letting your child explore their own inner qualities and strengths as you continue to guide them in finding their own uniqueness every day. They will become more serene and begin to believe in themselves and their own abilities instead.