You mightn’t be aware of it but from the moment your child is born, he is paying attention to what you do and say.
Make the most of everyday activities, whenever you can take time to enjoy the moment with your child. This can be as simple as bending down to look at a leaf or a caterpillar together, even when you are in a hurry. These small moments don’t take a lot of your time but they will mean to a lot to your child.
It’s important to take the time to look at your child, smile at him, show interest, pay attention and engage with him in positive ways. This lets your child know that he is special and important.
Try and focus on the positives, if you’re always correcting and criticising your child when you’re together, this will send the message that your child isn’t capable or valued. So, next time you correct your child, ask yourself, is it really important or this time could I let it go?
When it’s hard to be positive
It’s not possible to be positive all the time. Children are quite capable of coping when their parents are occasionally insensitive, unavailable, busy or distracted. That’s why it’s so important to make the most of the times when you are feeling positive, relaxed and you have to time to genuinely make the most of your relationship with your child.
