The Secret Gift to Your Child: Eight Ways to Nurture Respect This Holiday Season

How do we teach our children respect and limits this holiday season?  Here are 8 ways to nurture respect in your child:

1. Be honest with yourself about your limits with regard to holiday gifts.

2. Share your limits with your child and discuss them as best you can in a way that your child understands.

3. Make some gifts together so your child can feel proud about helping and creating a gift for someone else.

4. Make cards together having your child dictate messages to loved ones if he or she is too young to write a message.

5. Use such opportunities to model correct language for your child by telling him or her what you are writing as your interpretation of his or her message.

6. Ask your child if you’ve heard him correctly.  If you haven’t, take the time to go over it again until you know that you’ve captured what’s important to your child.

7. Teach your child the differences between needs and wants, especially how both can feel very intense, but that hey’re not the same.

8. Be respectful with your child: talk kindly, be patient, focus on your child, give your child positive messages,  slow down to your child’s pace, listen for your child’s needs, and respect your child’s limits.

When you treat your child with respect you will get respect back. It follows naturally.

Article by Dr. Joanne Baum
Education World®
Copyright© 2007 Education World

12/06/2007