Parenthood

Life by itself is a difficult task, let the idea of becoming a parent and now being fully responsible for another individual. This experience can be exciting yet stressful. How do you care for a person that does not have the acquired language to express their emotions and thoughts?  How do you prepare for parenthood when there are multiple expectations pre-set for you? As a parent we want to protect, mold, and nurture healthy bonding, and developmental progression with our child(ren) but how do we make sure that we are doing the best we can?

Here are a few things that can be implemented in order to be mindful of how we interact with our “little broke best friends” (lol):

1). Remember what they are—a child.  As much as we want our children to be independent and self-sufficient, they still need us to be there since they are SIMPLY children.

2). Provide and guard an environment that is safe and fostering to their formation of relationships, and more importantly, autonomy.

3). Offer structure and consistency as this will cultivate trust and accountability.

4).Engage and encourage open dialogue.  Teaches them that they have a voice.

5). Hug, kiss, cuddle, say “I love you”. Affection enhances the child’s feeling of belonging.

For additional tips, read “The ABCs of Parenting” by Leah Davies.