OK, I know the last post might have seemed a bit rough, so here’s one to counteract that! In my extensive experience of Motherhood, this is what I have learned:
1) When you are with your kids, really be with your kids – that means being present with them – not answering our cell phone, not emailing someone, not pretending we’re playing castles – but really taking notice of them and interacting.
2) Listen, listen, listen – if we stop our jammering for a moment, they will tell us things that we don’t expect to hear. Practice doing this now, instead of waiting til they are teenagers and wondering why they never listen to us!
3) Show affection to them – we are their teachers in so many ways, and if we outwardly kiss and cuddle them, they will learn to be loving towards others as well.
4) Kiss their Dad in front of them – remember that this is the very first relationship they will see, and it’s the one on which they will base all future relationships. According to psychologists, by the time we are 6 years of age, we have formed our beliefs about relationships.
5) When you argue, make up in front of them – kids need to see the resolution in their parents’ arguements, otherwise they may feel insecure about it. Even though Mom and Dad have made up and carried on, it may still be an issue in their little world.
*I want to add to all of this, that even though it seems like this entry is aimed at older children, you as the parent can very easily implement these things almost immediately. If you do this from the word “go”, it will be so much easier than starting anew in the toddler years when the behaviour is starting to go wonky!