Show them and tell them that you love them. Fill their “love tank”
This sounds so obvious, but while most parents love their children, they do not express that love through physical affection, especially once the child begins to resist those hugs and kisses in an embarrassed manner.
Children of any age need plenty of physical affection, combined with verbal expression and positive affirmation. Tell them of your love and show appreciation, ‘I just loved it when you helped me wash up/cook the dinner/lay the table. Thank you.’ If parents learn to notice the good and show affection and appreciation, the child will feel loved, learn to be positive and will not use negative behavior to attract attention.
Set boundaries
Children feel safe when they have boundaries. Have weekly family meetings, even with children as young as three, and discuss and formulate your family rules. The whole family agrees to abide by the rules, such as speaking respectfully to each other and keeping your room tidy. Write them out and stick them on the fridge.
Agree on the consequences for breaking rules. Use your meetings to plan outings, holidays, etc, as well as to talk about behaviour and chores. Teenagers will always balk at rules but are more likely to comply if they helped to make them in a loving and supportive family environment. All our sports and work environments have rules so don’t be afraid of having them in your family!
Children need your time
Modern life is challenging for parents with the morning rush to school and work and then the homework, dinner and bedtime routines to get through in the evenings. There seems so little time to just relax and play with the children, but this is absolutely essential to their well-being.
This story is from the December 2019 - February 2020 edition of Baby's and Beyond.
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This story is from the December 2019 - February 2020 edition of Baby's and Beyond.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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