You’re here to understand tips for parenting young children. It can be difficult parenting young children, especially when you are a first-time parent. You may not know how to navigate resistance, frustration, or your child not listening to you.
It could be difficult to understand their needs, and your child may also be unable to communicate their needs. You want to be able to have a trusting relationship with them, but aren’t sure how to get started.
You know as a parent, you want to go beyond just telling your child “no” or “because I said so”. You want them to truly understand through effective communication, role modeling, and helping them sit with difficult emotions.
When we give our children a safe and validating environment, they can better grow and understand the world around them. Children are constantly watching your every move and taking in what you do, which adds pressure.
During their young years, it is incredibly essential for early intervention and incorporating a lot of positivity, love, and healthy communication with them. The results of this will show greatly as they continue to grow. You’ll notice your child acting with respect, confidence, and an overall healthy mindset.
For those who are struggling with parenting, it is common to feel guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed. It is typical for parents to feel frustrated, burnt out, or at their wits end. Consider parenting therapy in Simi Valley, where you will have a safe space to work through your own worries or concerns.
You could engage in parenting therapy near Simi Valley for a number of reasons: wanting to start a family under unique conditions; finding the right parenting approaches; finding answers to questions or doubts about parenthood, and much more.
Parenting and family planning therapy is a great option for those seeking to find the right parenting approaches.
4 Tips for Parenting Young Children: Be a good role model
Being a good role model for your child is a lot easier said than done, but can be approached in a number of ways. When you think of a good role model, what comes to mind? Are they respectful and kind to others? Are they wanting to help others? Maybe your child has a role model through cartoons, movies, TV shows, or games they play as well.
You want to teach them crucial lessons and skills so that they grow up to be well rounded, kind individuals. This might be communicated through values, such as treating others how they want to be treated. For instance, would they appreciate it if someone took their toy away, rather than asking if they can share?
Maybe you want to demonstrate how to treat other people or animals – with compassion and gentleness. You can do this by modeling how to pet your family dog, or asking others for a hug rather than demanding it. You can model this behavior by asking your child for a hug and then respecting their answer.
If you are having doubts or questions about parenthood, consider working with a family therapist to provide you with the support you need.
4 Tips for Parenting Young Children: Encourage positive actions
It can be easy to see our children doing something we don’t want them to be doing, and immediately jump to saying “no!” or pulling them away. While we want to ensure no one or anything is hurt or damaged, this is a great opportunity to encourage positive behavior.
Positive actions are things that we want to see out of our children, such as treating others with respect and kindness. You can practice positive actions with your children using stuffed animals, plants, or yourself.
For stuffed animals, place it on the floor in front of the both of you. Model the behavior you want to see out of them, which would be using “gentle hands”. Children may be unaware that their grippy and poky hands are making others uncomfortable, so we want to demonstrate that outwardly without shaming their instincts and excitement.
Explaining why to use gentle hands will also help encourage them to use it. Such as saying, “The animal does not feel good when I grab at it. Look at my gentle hands here, I’m gently petting the animal in a nice way. Would you like to try now?”
So when you go out in public with your young child, you feel confident knowing that they have learned how to interact with other living things and are a step closer to respecting boundaries.
You can learn more about how to encourage positive behavior in your child through parenting therapy in Simi Valley. Our licensed therapists are here to support you, validate you, and guide you to be where you want to be as a parent.
Parenting is not a perfect process – it can be two steps forward, one step back. Therapy in Simi Valley can help normalize this with you.
4 Tips for Parenting Young Children: Empathize with their feelings
It’s important to empathize with your children’s feelings. As parents when we see our child in distress, it’s natural for us to want to swoop in and save the day. We may want them to stop crying immediately, and try to console them to the best of our abilities, or offer a “quick fix.”
However when we rush in, we actually take away an opportunity for them to be able to sit with their feelings from start to finish. Children need to begin learning emotion identification and regulation and that it is ok to be feeling sad, frustrated, or upset. When they are able to express themselves and their needs properly, effective communication takes place.
If we are in public and our child begins expressing distress, we may have the urge to suppress that so as to not disturb others. However, you and your child can use this to learn how to navigate and recognize difficult emotions. From there, your child will understand how to express themselves efficiently.
One example is classic – if you are in a store with your child and they see something they want. As we tell them we aren’t going to be getting that, your child may begin to pout, cry, or yell in frustration. Empathizing with their feelings would look like saying, “I can see you are feeling upset over not getting that today. I understand, that looked like an interesting toy. It’s okay to feel this way, and to feel disappointed.”
Another example could be for in the home when things are not going the way your child would like. Maybe they are adamant about wanting to use a certain cup for their juice. Or, if they have a sibling, they want whatever their sibling has.
During this, it’s important to be kind, understanding, but also firm in your boundaries to not give in to what they want. Children will be able to tolerate their emotions better when they observe your own ability to tolerate them. In family therapy in Simi Valley, you will develop a greater understanding of your child’s emotions and what they mean to them.
Family counseling near Moorpark, CA is a great option for parents who could use some additional support.
4 Tips for Parenting Young Children: Prioritize communication
Prioritize communication with your children! This would look like directly communicating with them about your expectations, setting boundaries with them, and explaining the reasons behind your requests or decisions.
When we simply tell our child “because I said so”, this can cause them to feel frustrated. They still would not understand why we are asking something of them. This can lead to further resistance to your request.
In an instance where your child may be refusing to sit still in their chair while out to eat, they are wanting to run around and play tag in the restaurant with others. You can explain to them, “I want you to sit down so that you do not hurt yourself or others. Someone may not see you and run into you, making you fall badly or they will fall badly.” Or, “we are all out to dinner to enjoy time together – what would you like to do while we eat together?” guiding them in finding a less disruptive activity, such as coloring.
In the end, seeking out parenting therapy will help you address further questions or concerns around communication. What should I and should I not be telling my child? How does what I say affect them?
Seek out a safe, validating environment with us today. We will help you get to where you want to be. Our therapists provide teen therapy, individual adult therapy, LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy, anxiety therapy & depression treatment, family therapy, and more in-person therapy in Simi Valley.
Call us at (805) 774-1506 for a free consultation and for more information on our group and amazing therapists.