3 Ways to Nurture Growth in Your Child
By: Dilini Dharmawardana, M.A., AMFT
Children need to be nurtured and treasured for as long as possible. You don’t want to look back and think to yourself: “I missed out on my child’s childhood.” I believe that nurturance is about cherishing every moment of your child’s childhood.
Tip #1: Set Aside Time for Your Child to Spend with You
A lot of times children value time with each of their parents and keeping a set day and time open for your child to feel free to be who they are and to feel cherished by you is important. If you have multiple children, setting aside time for each child to spend with you can be valuable to them and they will each feel valued and understood by you, as their parent. During this time with your child, put all your electronic devices away and just focus on your child and what they are doing. You might be surprised about what you learn about your child.
Tip #2: Praise Your Child For Times and Instances that You want Them To Do More Of
In my opinion, praise is one of the ways to nurture your child and instill in them that will to grow that they will take with them throughout their lives. Praise involves providing positive words that you mean. The important thing about praise is to mean it because children can tell you aren’t being sincere and that is just as bad to a child’s self-esteem as not saying anything. So, the next time
you are around your child tell them something specific you love about them. Praise is an important way for your child to feel valued and important in your life!
Tip #3: Play with Your Child
Playing with your child is one way that you can spend quality time with them! Even an older child who claims to not like to play appreciates someone who plays a game with them and just spends that time getting to know them and who they are as people now versus the last time you hung out with them. Children are nurtured by an adult who notices them and their play, who doesn’t pressure them to do what they want, and who lets them think for themselves. When you play with your child, your child will hopefully start to feeling closer with you the more you play with them!
Children are amazing and they also require a lot of support and time. These days with our electronic devices taking up so much of our time, nurturing children can take a backside even if you don’t mean to. When you look back on your time with your child, looking back happily without regrets is important. So, the next time you’re with your child set aside time with them, praise them, and play with them!
