How the family interacts with each other shapes the social behavior of every child. The way a family interacts with each other determines how the child deals with its environment and fellow human beings now and later. This should always be kept in mind.
It starts with the parents: If both deal with each other lovingly and, above all, respectfully, the children will also deal with their siblings and friends in the same way. Of course, there will also be quarrels. But how these are solved, that you live. No matter what it is about, whether it is dealing with problems, quarrels, just overall communication with each other, everything is already shaped in early childhood. So please always set a good example. Talk lovingly to all family members. Do not favor anyone. Please always be fair with criticism and also with rewards. Also, please pay close attention to what you say when your child misbehaves. Example: He or she breaks the favorite vase. It is clear that this annoys you at first. But how you clarify this now, that’s what matters. If you say, for example, “You always break something,” your child will feel like a klutz and is guaranteed to break something much more often. Because how you feel is how you inevitably behave. For example, say instead, “That was my favorite vase, what a shame, but I know you didn’t break it on purpose.” Clean up the broken pieces together and that’s it. So there is a huge difference to be seen in the reaction. Of course, the child will still pay better attention in the future, but, his self-confidence has not suffered a break. And that is what matters.
Of course, it would be nice if facial expressions and gestures were also controlled. The sweetest words are of no use if mother rolls her eyes or throws her hands up in horror when something goes wrong. This is just as sharp a sword for children as casual language. As parents, please always be of one mind when it comes to parenting. You’ve experienced it yourself: mother says yes, father says no. Or the other way around. The child thinks that’s great, it quickly learns who to ask for permission in the future, or even starts to play the parents off against each other. This is easy to avoid: Clarify – whether you give your respective consent to the child’s request – as parents among yourselves first. If your child wants something from you, but your husband is not yet home, but you would like to discuss it with him, then tell your child that too. He may not be thrilled that he has to wait for the answer, but he has to accept that family is just an important group and important things are decided together.
This way, there is no imbalance and some conflicts can be avoided very easily. Your child will also learn that teamwork is sometimes exhausting, especially when the decision goes against the request, but that’s how life works. It’s real. It’s just important that children learn to deal with each other properly, to deal with all their fellow human beings properly, and thus grow up to be strong and also social people. Life is just much easier that way.