What Parents Must Avoid When Raising Their Kids

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Parenting could have an immense pressure in doing the right thing when raising kids. Children might learn from their experience, but parents should also have to consider their role in making sure their children understand the importance of psychological and mental function. The increased influence will somehow create a reflection of their behavioral progress that parents should prioritize. Parents seldom see mistakes on what they do when trying to educate them and often it leads to an alarming result.

Giving Too Much – It is understandable that parents only want to give everything to their child. However, spoiling them is a big problem they may face in the long run. It will become harmful in both social and mental development because it will create a lasting effect of dependency. Spoiled children will eventually turn out bossy and selfish. They will lack the necessary skills that can contribute to decision making on the demands of adulthood.

Valuing The Expectation Of Perfection – Parents who don’t consider constructive criticism for their kids will eventually complicate their overall health progress. Treating them as perfect individuals is destructive because they might end up believing that most of the things they do are based on their capability to dictate. When children understand that they have too much power, they will never recognize a clear hierarchy and end up losing respect.

Giving Kids Too Many ChoicesGiving kids too many options can be very alarming. The idea of trying to make them happy and letting them choose what benefits them can lead to a never-ending dissatisfaction. They will tend to ignore the value of perseverance and will lose all the motivations they need to push through something they want in life. They will stop chasing happiness and will always settle for convenience.

Overprotecting The Kids – The good intention of protecting children can become way over its boundaries. Parents may feel the need for control on all the aspects of their kid’s life, which may lead to unhealthy identity problems. Overprotecting them from experiencing risk, failure, and negative emotions will make them vulnerable in the early stages of life challenges.

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Engaging In Competitive Parenting – A healthy competition is an excellent way for parents to focus on the weak parts of their kids and boost their self-confidence. However, the excessive desire of attaining unrealistic goals may lead to stress and failure. The pressure that you give your children will result in clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety that will damage their sense of self-worth.

Underestimating Their CharactersNot knowing your child is the worst failure of being a parent. Projecting an impression of someone they are not can result in an identifiable attitude. Most of the behavioral problems of children have a connection to their emotional concerns that parents don’t often notice. You must avoid making conclusions and not base your kid’s personality on assumptions.

There is nothing simple when it comes to parenting. It is a bumpy journey where parents should consider equally difficult choices that will help their kids grow. Being able to identify the right and wrong ways of parental interaction can assist in attaining a better parent-child relationship.

How The Bad Relationship Of Parents Affects A Child’s Mental Health

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The relationship of parents has significant effects on the way a child develops his behavior. He can absorb information from everything near him that can impact his emotional and mental learning. He easily adapts to the environment which adds additional psychological progress to his critical thinking. Same adaptation of information goes to the process of learning when a bad relationship is present in his development. In most cases, a child has no control over the influence he can get from the bad views of his experiences. In line with this, parents should consider its effect on the child’s mental health.

Fighting And Conflict: It involves verbal offense such as insults, threats, cursing, and physical aggression. There are reports and studies which show that children who grew up in high-conflict homes have emotional, social, and physical health problems in comparison to those who didn’t. They also have a higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, and substance abuse later in life.

Domestic Abuse And Violence: Children tend to have a higher risk of committing physical violence as they grow up because of their exposure to a home where parents are violent and abusive. There are studies which show the connection of domestic abuse to psychology and physiology of a child as they mature and committing physical violence (such as hurting other people) is a way for them to release their stress. This may manifest at school in the form of bullying. Children with trauma may also form eating disorders to comfort themselves. Chronic stress from the ordeal will lead to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol which orders the body to store fat and energy. 

Alcoholism And Substance Abuse Of Parents: A child will grow up and become an overly sensitive adult if his parents have issues regarding alcohol and substance abuse. He will feel the need to mature earlier due to the emotional stress. He will tend to skip childhood to avoid ending up the same as his parents and force himself to develop the mentality of becoming an excessively responsible child. The lack of emotional attachment will create damage to his development, traumatizing his early days.

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Parents’ Miscommunication – Parents that are unable to get what they want in their relationship will habitually turn to their children for emotional comfort. There are also times when parents will tell their kids to take sides during their conflict, which is a destructive influence towards the child’s immature mind. Parents’ miscommunication can give a child a confused emotional behavior, which may lead to the development of a child’s anxiety and depression.

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Kids may not always understand things that their parents are going through within a relationship. However, they have the urge to fill the emotional necessity of the family. As for parents, they need to become a reliable model to their children as much as possible. It is their sole duty to help them in the challenging world of their development and avoid not becoming the cause of their delayed progress. 

 

What Can Divorce Do To A Child?

It is known that divorce has an impact on children that affect their mental and behavioral progress. Research shows that most kids with divorced parents have a complex personality that comes from a perplexed environment. Parent-child interaction suffers and results in a negative response due to the alarming development of a child’s emotional distress.

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Children with divorced parents have encountered difficulty in understanding complex situations and ended up becoming more dependent on others. They eventually lose their self-esteem and develop an irregularity in social interaction and communication. During this time, they often see negative points of view and disregard positive variables on personal life enhancement. They find it hard to incorporate ideas and fail to process good behavior. They will demand emotional support and use it as a tool to get attention from the people around them. They have a lingering sympathology that affects their sense of equilibrium, hindering their ability to adapt to an altering environment.

What Children Try To Understand

Divorced parents often do not initiate a moment to explain to their child the reason for the separation. As a result, the child tries to speculate negative ideas and tries to blame himself. In fact, most cases of marital conflict leave the child out of the issue since both parents think that the subject should only revolve around them. In line with that, the child is left baffled and wondering why his parents have ended the relationship. He then builds a conclusion that something is wrong not only in the house but including the things that affect their whole bond as a family (and sometimes, kids often think that it started with them). They somehow push themselves to their limits and integrate an ideology that is not even related to the situation. Consequently, they try to establish an emotional boundary to understand why parents involve them in a devastating position.

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Why Kids Can’t Handle Divorce

A child needs both his parents to support his mental and psychological growth. However, altering and stressing out the positive balance of his mind can create a huge problem in his development. It affects his capacity to understand situational issues that give him too much suffering in the emotional aspects. The child can suffer from extreme sadness that he often isolates himself. 

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Kids can’t handle divorce because they are too afraid to choose between their parents. They don’t want to become a burden because they somehow know the frightening process of adjustment that they need to undergo. Though children are unique, the common reason why they don’t like their parents to get separated is that they won’t be able to handle the emptiness they’ll feel. They don’t want to be alone and left out. 

A child needs both of his parents to develop his wellbeing thoroughly, and if the process gets altered, he may lose all the chances to get a better mental and psychological development. As parents, it is their sole duty to let their kids understand the importance of balance and feed their child with emotional care.

The Better Outcome Of Parents’ Involvement In A Child’s Development

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The primary role of parents is to guide and support their kids to learn the importance of balance on their well-being. Their development at school and environment helps to promote healthy behavior. Inclusive of social interaction, parents’ involvement on their child can also influence them in attaining a positive relationship with people. Studies show that well-implemented activities are substantial regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic or racial background, and educational level.

Parents and children interaction can make a collaborative approach that boosts the kid’s mental health. One of the significant advantages is the emulation of ethical behavior that can produce positive results. It is a journey for children to have a better outcome.

What Can Parents Get With The Involvement?

Parents’ involvement can increase social interaction with their children and create a sensitive response to their children’s intellectual and emotional necessity. It will allow them to have a personal association with their kid’s highs and lows. Alongside the changes, the bond between parent and child impact their immediate social microsystems. They become more aware of their kid’s struggles and become more active with their interests. They maintain the use of affection in decision-making and use positive reinforcement more often while lessening the use of punishment. 

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How Does Parent Interaction Affect Children?

Children’s ecosystem changes when their parents tend to get involved with their activities. The similar patterns can consistently boost their self-esteem and motivation. They become more self-disciplined and aware of better transitions when it comes to diverse cultural background. It helps them create an impacting development in their emotional and psychological aspects.  Children become more aware of their responsibilities and try to value the essence of commitment. They feel more proud and satisfied with their selves because they get the necessary support they need from their parents.

How Does Parent Involvement Influence The School?

The quality of parental communication can create social skills that can benefit a child’s overall advancement. The involvement of parents in the growth of their children can particularly support their network and can foster higher confidence with handling people on their day to day activity. It helps to train them in better communication and encourages academic excellence. They feel more competent at school; thus, they achieve better grades, attendance, and test scores.

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What Can It Contribute To The Community?

One factor that can help both parents and children is the well-established connection to their community. They can experience better support and have encouraging programs that allow mental growth. So when kids face challenges in life, they learn how to make the right decisions while nurturing their inner purpose. It helps them become active and socially involved.

Parents are among the most important factors in children’s development, and their personal connection can enhance their social functioning which ultimately helps reduce behavioral problems. Nurturing children must undergo specific processes and managing plans that can help them establish a working performance that is beneficial for growth. So when you lack the ability to communicate with your kids and take for granted the involvement you can give, you must understand that their behavioral progress and mental improvement will depend on how you interact with them. 

 

How Parents Should Build A Relationship With Their Children

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A parent and child relationship impacts a family. It is where the functions of parenting style affect children’s emotions as well as their mental health. Among younger kids, physical interaction encourages a quality relationship. However, too much connection can become over controlling. Therefore, parents should know the fundamentals of parent-child interaction such as feelings, behavior, and expectation to be able to get a healthy overall child development.

Get Involved With Your Kid’s Interest –Parental relationship can build a stronger bond when parents try to connect with their kids. It is where they can continuously support their children and encourage their learning progress. A strong bond allows parents to become more approachable and easy to get along with. It will allow children to feel more comfortable with themselves as well as with other people and they will eventually build trust and boost their self-esteem. 

Value Your Kids’ Emotional Feelings – Parents should learn more about their kids’ emotional struggle. It is their sole obligation to make their child emotionally safe and secure. They need to keep them healthy in both mental and psychological aspects as well. They should consider that a small issue for adults can become a big deal for kids, so they have to be careful in putting the right words to convey in a conversation. They should also strengthen their parental listening skills.

Have Frequent Chats – Asking your kids about their day and listening to their stories is a great way to encourage communication. Sharing daily experiences and laughing about jokes will open up a bond with both parents and children. An exchange of spontaneous conversations can build confidence in expressing their thoughts, which is very beneficial to mental growth.

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Be In The Moment – You can quickly get caught up in the responsibilities that you often forget to spare some time with your kids. However, it will actively build a lasting relationship when you tend to make it a priority. You can do fun things together regularly or have one-on-one chats five minutes before going to bed. You should take advantage of the moment and spend quality time once in a while to let your kids know that daily duties are not a valid reason to make them the least of your priorities. 

Trust Their Efforts – Children will often make decisions based on what they understand so parents should consider positively trusting their hard work. Though mistakes are unavoidable, you have to let them know that it is essential to show courage by accepting their weakness. Parents should become the first persons that kids should feel confident to confide in an emotional dilemma. Let children have the chance to make their own decisions based on their abilities and maturity level.

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Building a healthy relationship with your children is often mistaken as a complicated task. But when you realize that all you need is a quality family time, teamwork, appreciation, and communication, your relationship with your kids can grow healthier and more stable over time. You have to make an effort in creating an environment full of love and care that will benefit your child’s emotional and mental health. 

Basic Things You Need To Know About Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

When a child is exhibiting behavioral issues, one of the best ways to help him is through therapy. While the natural therapy works for most kids, it is sometimes not enough. If that’s the case, you need to turn to something that is more effective. This is where the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) comes into picture. Don’t you know what this is? Then don’t worry, because this is what we’re going to discuss today.

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Written below are some of the most important things you need to know about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. We will tell you what it is, who is it for, how it works, and what are the things you need to look for in a PCIT therapist. If you find this interesting, then you can continue reading. 

What Is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy?

It is a particular kind of therapy that can help improve the relationship between a parent and a child through interaction. It is usually done to help kids who are suffering from trauma, autism, or child behavioral conditions such as Conduct Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Research also showed that PCIT could help decrease the child’s chances of being antisocial or criminal later in life. 

When Is It Used? 

While there’s no recommended age for adults, the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is specially developed for kids between 2 and 7 years old. 

How Does It Work? 

PCIT starts with the parent and the child placed in one room, while the therapist is in an adjacent one divided by a one-way mirror (think of those rooms where police investigators question possible crime suspects and persons of interest). The therapist will then observe and coach the parent through wireless earphones on how to properly play or interact with the child.

They will learn useful techniques, skills, and tips that can improve their relationship with the kid.  After the interaction exercise, the therapist will then tell the parent what he observed and come up with possible reasons as to why the child is acting poorly.  They will also inform the parent how he is part of the problem and what must be done to correct that. After relaying all of this information, the parent will then have to implement the things he learned and see if the child responds or interacts in a better way.

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What To Look For In A Parent-Child Interaction Therapist

One of the first things you should look for is their PCIT International certification because it is a proof that they completed all the necessary training to become an efficient therapist in this field.  In addition to that, you also need to make sure that they have attained a master’s degree and acquired enough experience. But most important of all, find someone that you and your child will feel comfortable with. 

These are some of the information about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Now that we’ve discussed with you the basics, why not do your research and see if it’s something that you and your kid can try out?

 

Building a Positive Environment for Child Developmental Growth

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Do you let your child see when you and your partner are arguing? Are you living in a neighborhood where there are brawls and fights are common? If you have a child and the answer is yes, then this article is must read for you. It shows how the environment can shape your child’s developmental path.

The environment plays a significant role in shaping our child developing his/her behavior and learning. This environment encompasses places such as home, school, neighborhood, and areas where your child will spend time in. In this case, parents must ensure that they can strive for a conducive environment to help nurture their child’s positive developmental growth. 

Guidelines For Creating A Positive Environment

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The home is the first and primary environment that will affect his/her personality. The first thing the child sees and feels are all found here. It is a must that the child feels the emotional connection with their parents through the early years. It will help regarding his/her confidence and how to express their emotions such as love and appreciation. A loving home will teach the child how to connect with others and build their personality positively.

It is a given that their parents will be the child’s first teacher. As their first teacher, it is essential that they create a stimulating environment that will promote the child’s skill and development. Build a relaxing and positive home to help them concentrate and learn significantly during studies. Form a quiet home devoid of unnecessary noises which can affect concentration from studying. Parents should also help them explore, even if it is within the bounds of your home. It will encourage the child to think, ask questions, and find solutions, thus helping them gain experience and knowledge.

The relationship that parents share with each other has significant effects on a child’s emotional growth. It is because the parents are the closest people to the child and the first couple they will know. How parents love and respect each other will promote the child’s fondness to learn how to interact, respect, and value others. Small gestures such as hugging and holding hands are some ways to express affection.

Living in an overcrowded environment can cause adverse effects on a child’s personality and behavior. Having too many home members can reduce the time parents spend with their child. It can result in the child emotionally distancing themselves from their parents early in life due to the lack of time. Make it a habit of taking them out for a walk if there is no time and space at home or going for activities the parent and child can appreciate together. Make sure to have enough time to spend and connect with your child.

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Although it is not possible to create every positive environmental quality for your child’s behavior and developmental growth, you as parents should strive the best of what you can do to develop such a place for them. It is for the sake of their future as competent individuals. 

Useful Tips On How To Convince Your Child To Undergo Counseling

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Booking your child’s first ever appointment with a therapist is pretty daunting, right? Now imagine what it’s like for your kid. They might feel confused, scared, and even angry at you for doing it without their consent.  While it’s understandable that you’re only doing it for their wellness, it is also vital that you can explain to them what counseling is for and why they need to go through it. Lucky for you, there are several tips you can follow to convince your child to undergo counseling. Written below are some of the things that you can do to help your kid see that counseling is a good thing. On that note, do read on.

Explain What A Counselor Is 

One of the easiest ways to explain what counseling is to your child is to explain what a counselor does. Tell your kid that counselors are like their grown-up friends that they can confide in when they get sad or when they feel like they are stuck. The same thing goes if you have a teenager in the house that needs help. Explain that these people are there to help and not to judge them for the thoughts inside their head or for the things they did. Tell them that the counselor can help them overcome what’s making them suffer.

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Tell Them That It’s Okay To Take Things Slowly 

One of the things that most kids are afraid of when it comes to meeting with counselors is the fact that they have to share personal stuff about them even though it makes themuncomfortable. Tell your child that they can choose not to talk with the counselor during their first meeting.  They can just sit there and play cards, try other games,or just read a book. There are therapists out there who can use that time of being ignored to observe how kids move and react to things. Tell them its okay to be reluctant at first, but don’t forget to encourage them to make a connection with the therapist too so that they can open up when the time is right. 

 

Be Open And Explain To Them Why They Need To Do It 

Sometimes it’s better to stop sugarcoating things and just tell your kid why you’re worried. Yes, things might become harder because of that but sometimes being open is what allows you to finally reach out to them and make them see why you had to ask for a professional’s help. Tell them why you’re worried but do your best not to make it sound like you’re judging them.  The last thing you want is to make them feel like it’stheir fault. 

 

These are just some of the many things you can tell your kid when you want to convince them to undergo counseling. Of course, it won’t be easy, but you have to talk to him.  You have to explain why it’s a good thing and reassure him that you will be there all the way. Check out BetterHelp for more info about the importance of counseling.

 

Effective Communication Between Parents And Children Made Easy

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There are many kinds of relationships existing that people develop over a span of time.But, the most important is the relationship between the parent and child. It is qualitatively different and the most crucial.

There are some characteristics of a healthy parent-child relationship. These areflexibility, connection, appropriate boundaries, open communication,and discipline. In this article, we will be focusing on communication.

What is Communication?

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Communication is the act of transferring information from one person to another. It can be verbal or non-verbal, positive or negative, effective or ineffective. It is essential for the parents to communicate effectively with their children. 

Open communication between a parent and child can benefit not only the child but the other family members as well. This will lead to a happier and healthier relationship between both parties, prevent problems that may arise in the future or minimize troubles. 

On the other hand, ineffective or harmful communications between children and parents can lead children to believe that they are unimportant or misunderstood. Self-esteem tends to get low,andthey might have a hard time making decisions for themselves because nobody taught them how to. 

Most of the children who grew up without proper communication see their parents as untrustworthy. They just prefer to keep the problems to themselves or share to their so-called friends because they are afraid that their parents might not support or disapprove them. 

Hence, it is vital for the parents to set up an open and effective communication with their children while they are still young. 

Parents’ Perspective

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Raising a child is never an easy thing,but through open communication, you can raise your child effectively and prevent troubles that may arise within the family that may start from your child. A parent should communicate at their children’s level. A parent should only use words or language that are appropriate only to their child’s age.  Never shout at themand say vulgar words.

A parent should be a good listener too. Listening is a skill that must be learned and practiced. Parents must listen to what their children say or feel, whether how good or bad they are. You can show that you listen to your children by maintaining eye contact, eliminating distractions,listening with a closed mouth, asking questions and letting your children know that you are listening. 

Regular family meetings or gatherings are also essential. Family meetings can be done once a week or whenever there must be discussed.  It is a valuable tool to fix family issues and talk about problems. Always let your child be awareof these kinds of happenings,and he/she will learn how to open up with his/her family as the time pass by. 

A parent should try to make explanations clear. It is normal for the children to ask questions because they have little knowledge of the world. Use these questionsas anopportunity to teach and educate them about everything under the sun even though you are not comfortable discussing some things with them. 

A parent should always try to keep the conversation short and simple. The younger the children, the more difficult it is for them to understand. Parents should know if their children cannot understand anymore what they are saying, so it’s best to state the ideas little by little. They should also know when to back off sometimes.

Parents should bear in mind that effective communication will never turn out exactly as what you always wanted. Remember that patience with effort is the key. This will be hard at first,but with a lot of hardwork and practice, you will be achieving the healthy, happy and confident parent-child relationship.

Making use of the PRIDE Technique in Parenting

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If you’ve ever had kids or been around children, you’ll know just how playful they are. During their formative years, much time will be spent playing. As parents and caregivers, we should see to it that we keep ourselves involved during playtime when we can. 

 

Allowing our children time on their own is essential to honing independence, but we need to balance this out with keeping a strong and nurturing connection to them. The PRIDE technique helps you with just that.

 

PRIDE Skills

PRIDE is an acronym that guides parents and caregivers when interacting with children. Some parents may find that even as they play with their children, they’re not making the most out of their time spent together. The acronym stands for: praise, reflect, imitate, describe and enjoy. Let’s take a look at these skills one at a time.

 

Praise

This is likely something many parents are already familiar with. However, praise can sometimes be easy to forget to do so. Early childhood is when children begin to learn right from wrong. By praising good behavior, they’ll know that this is something that’s good and should be repeated. Likewise, try to ignore badaction if it’s minor. Pay more attention to praise positive behavior.

 

For example, when the child puts away their toys after playing with them, commend them for it. You can say something like, “good job keeping your playroom very neat.”

 

Reflect

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Some parents may tend to ignore the things that their children say, as they are often naive. This is not very nurturing or productive. When spending time with your kids, reflect on what they say and voice it out. This shows that you are listening and promotes communication. However, try to avoid giving questions. Let your child lead the way playtime goes.

 

Let me present an example. A young child comments that they see a man with a funny hat on. You can answer by responding “yes, that is a very silly hat!”

 

Imitate

Imitation is the most excellent form of flattery. This also shows approval towards your child’s actions. You can do this together (cooperative play) or separately by mimicking what your child does (parallel play).

 

For example, you could play dress-up together. Likewise, you can share in other activities such as dancing or coloring together.

 

Describe

It may be tiring and, admittedly, sometimes annoying when children describe everything. Yes, we know the couch is dirty, the sky is blue and the dog is barking. However, we have to be patient and also do the describing ourselves. This helps build vocabulary in our children and models speech.

 

You can try by vocalizing what the child is doing. For example, describe as they draw. “You’re drawing a sun with sunglasses. Dogs are playing on the grass in a park.”

 

Enjoy

 

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Here’s one thing that many parents may forget about at times: enjoyment. We all get caught up in worries and stress sometimes, that we forget to take a step back and enjoy time with our kids. Allow yourself to enjoy what your kids are doing and express it to them. This builds a warm and nurturing feeling between you and your children.

 

You can express this vocally. For example, “thank you for letting me color the elephant.” Likewise, you can also show enjoyment by smiling, hugging the child and staying close to them.