Does your child have a loving relationship with you and others in the family? Relationships with others are an integral part of a child’s happiness, both present, and future. Tuning in and responding to your child with warmth and gentleness will help lay the foundations for your child’s development and helps to shape his or her adulthood.
Why loving relationships are important
Children’s relationships shape the way they see the world and affect all areas of their development. Through relationships, they learn about themselves and the people around them.
Children learn to express themselves to the people they know. For example, whenever they cry, laugh, or ask a question. and get something back — a cuddle, a smile, or an answer — what they get back shows them how to act in the world, such as how to think, understand, communicate and behave. This back-and-forth communication strengthens relationships and helps them get ready to socialise with people in the future.
Hence, a child’s early relationships with his or her parents, other family members, and carers are crucial.
Your relationships with others
While the relationship you have with your child is important for his or her upbringing, your relationship with others counts too, for it indirectly helps to shape the young one’s development. Your child is always observing how you behave and communicate with other people in your life — for example, your partner, family members, friends, and carers. As one of the closest people to him or her, you not only leaving a lasting impression, but you’re also a role model on how to interact with others. If you’re kind and respectful in your relationships, your child learns to act this way in his or her relationships with others.
Children are innately social
Babies are born naturally social and they thrive better with more time spent ‘communicating’ with their loved ones. The way this communication — as in how you respond to your baby’s cues helps your baby learn. This communication with you is through all the babbling, facial expressions, and gestures such as waving, kicking, and other body movements.
It’s important for you to provide warm, loving responses whenever your baby tries to communicate with you. The way you respond helps your child learn about communication, behaviour, and emotions. You’ll also help your little one feel safe and secure, and promote a strong relationship between the two of you.
A loving relationship is a necessity
Babies need to feel safe and attached to a parent or carer first before building the confidence to explore and learn more about their environment. A baby who has the loving attention of parents or carers tends to develop better and learn new things faster compared to a baby who is neglected in terms of loving relationships and communication.
Featured image source: Unsplash
