Confident Toddlers A lot of working mums spend the weekend sorting out the house, doing the shopping and getting ready for the next week. All of this has to be done, but your priority should be spending time with, and getting to know your children. Consider shopping online and having your groceries delivered rather than dragging your toddler to the shops on a Saturday. If you are lucky to be in a two parent family, arrange family outings. These do not need to be expensive. Toddlers love exploring in parks and feeding the ducks and swans. Try and give them freedom in the playground. Encourage them to be adventurous and to try out new things. If you go to a play centre, you are likely to hear mothers telling their kids to be careful or they will get hurt: don’t go too high, too fast, too slow etc. These mothers mean well – they are trying to prevent their child sustaining an injury. But kids need to run free sometimes. I am not suggesting that you let them play in traffic, but in the safety of a play centre, you might want to curb your own fears and let them get on with it. Sure, they may fall and hurt themselves but generally it will be very minor and completely forgotten as they excitedly tell you they went the highest, fastest etc. We need to accept that bruises, minor broken bones and other injuries are part of childhood. As a mum you are sure to spend a bit of time in the hospital. Great leaders such as Nelson Mandela were not kept tied to their mothers apron strings. Within reason, you need to encourage risk taking. Taking calculated risks and winning will instill confidence in your child and motivate them to believe that if they try hard enough just about anything is possible. Finally remember that babies grow into toddlers for a reason. Most toddlers will severely test their parents patience at some point. There is a reason why the terrible twos are called that name. There will be days when we lose our temper and say something that we shouldn’t to our young children. Don’t obsess over this – as long as it doesn’t become a pattern it won’t stop your child being confident. Just apologise and move on. You are showing your toddler that mummy or daddy can make mistakes too and that they are also human beings!
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 02:58:07 +0000
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