5. Accept change
Don’t be surprised if little Sarah likes building puzzles today and next week avoids them like a plague. Some parents tend to think there is something wrong when these changes occur. In fact, these changes are part of growing up. A child’s growth is typically measured by length and size, yet their mentality should be taken into account as well. There are quite a lot of thoughts and emotions running through those tiny brains and more often than not their mentality will develop faster than their physical appearance. Be ready to support their decisions rather than trying to spark interest with what they used to like. Remember that an exploring child is a healthy child.
6. Stay away from labels
Fathers like to label their sons as sport stars or racing car drivers. In many cases where there is more than one sibling the parents start to differentiate between them. One of them will be little Einstein and the other is Serena Williams. It’s a good thing to have great dreams regarding the future of the children, although it can have discouraging effects. If Sarah gets labeled as the sport star and Mike as the book worm then Mike probably won’t even try to engage in sports and Sarah will refrain from reading books. Even when labels are made in such a positive light it might not always be in their best interest. Negative labels like fussy eater will inevitably stick and they may end up trying to live up to it. Parents must try to avoid labels and differentiating between siblings.
7. Don’t depend on food or treats for praise
It’s easy to get some discipline from a difficult child by using snacks or favorite food. For some it’s a way to reward a child after achieving something. The thing parents always forget is that children have a much higher regard for a hug or a kiss from mom or dad when they do good instead of getting a chocolate bar. If a parent continues to give candy as a way of praising the child, then the child will start to hold the piece of candy in higher regard than the hug or kiss. This doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful at times when a child is going crazy in a public place, but it should be used only in extreme cases. By simply giving them a big hug after they score the winning goal or getting a good report card will be more than sufficient even though the parent might not think so. It’s hard to imagine how powerful mere affection from a parent can be.
