Children who are learning how to talk and walk will mimic your behavior. As a parent, there will be times when you will get upset at your child, spouse, friends, and strangers. How you react in front of your child will matter because they will mimic your words and actions. Being rude to others, displaying poor manners, and getting angry are behaviours your children will learn and will then practice in their own lives. While it impossible to be at your best every second of your life, you will have to adapt to the fact that another person will be watching you constantly. One way to teach is by trying to show your children that there are certain ways to behave in public and in private that can be positive and negative. If you overreact in front of your child and they are old enough to understand what you are saying, you can take this opportunity to talk to your children about what happened. You should explain that when people get angry they will say and do things that they might not mean. You should also explain why this behaviour is not acceptable. Lastly, children should understand that parents are not perfect and they everyone makes mistakes. Listening Listening to your children when they are talking is a great way to teach listening skills. When you child begins to talk, their conversation may not be about much. But you should listen anyway. While sometimes you should correct your child when they say a word incorrectly or mispronounce a word, other times you should just listen to what they are saying and show interest in the conversation. This is the time when children are developing social skills. They will learn how to tell a story, how to recount the day events, and how to relate to others. This is a very important stage in their development and you will have to be patient while they are speaking. Questioning After your child is finished telling their story, you should ask questions about the story. You should ask meaningful questions that they can expand on. This exchange will help your child learn about trust, how to answer questions, and how to incorporate information into their conversation. You will also enjoy hearing some of the answers as they can be very creative and amusing.
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