Parents: A Child’s First Teacher
by Rosh Vettiveloo

A child’s rudimentary social interaction skills are a result of observing and mimicking their parents. This is because the primary caregivers, parents, serve as a vital source of information in the first stage of a child’s learning process. Primarily between the ages of 0 -5 years, parents form the largest impression on the lives of their children.

Each child’s development is correspondingly related to the amount of positive stimulation he is exposed to. As an infant, it is important to sing and talk to your baby, to tell him that you love him and just how important he is to you. This aids in building your child’s self-esteem from an early age itself.

Remember to always maintain eye contact when talking to your child. Instead of spending money buying toys or watching television, play with your child. Be it at home or in the neighbourhood park, physical activity involving parents and children is far more beneficial, in the long term. This will all help towards building and maintaining a healthy parent-child bond.

When interacting with your child, always meet him at his intellectual level. Play simple games. Engage in simple conversations. Let your child choose the activity. And if you don’t understand the activity at hand, ask your child for an explanation. There is no need to be hesitant or shy.

In asking for his guidance, you will indirectly show the child that he should ask for help when uncertain; that it is acceptable to not know something and more importantly, that there is nothing to be ashamed about in asking for further explanation.

By spending time with your child, you are able to teach your child many invaluable lessons of life. Basic grace and courtesy skills, such as greeting people appropriately and saying ‘thank you’ or ‘goodbye’ are but a few. Teaching your child to take turns when playing, to accommodate the needs of a younger sibling, are all lessons which cannot be learnt from books.

Such lessons do not require formal instruction, and are more easily adopted by you serving as a model of good behaviour. Children learn through consciously and unconsciously observing their parent’s behaviour. When you, as a parent, are gracious and courteous towards others, your child will learn to mimic your behaviour, initially. And later on, it will become second nature to him.

Equipped with a positive image of himself, your child will grow up to be a secure and well-adjusted individual. The parent-child bond created and maintained from a tender age has also been shown to help in reducing the risk of deviant behavior in later years.

So parents beware … though you may not have noticed it, your young child is constantly scrutinizing your behaviour and mannerisms. His social interaction skills will be a reflection of your every action and reaction during his formative years.