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Building Parent-Child Relationship
Developing your child's self-esteem

Building parent-child relationship Contd.
Create meaningful ways to be involved with your child
Increase your involvement with your child. Sensitive, responsive care, involvement and emotional communication are important aspects of supportive relationships with the infant and the young child. Parents should find ways to spend time in the care of the child when the focus is just on the child. Parents can share their feelings with the child and encourage her to express her feelings too. Look for opportunities to make one-to-one moments with each child happen everyday. Greet your child when you come home, play together, push the swing for the child in the playground, help the child get ready for bedtime, take time to share feelings when a child approaches to show something she has created - these are all opportunities to become involved. Building relationship takes time, attention and involvement.

Build positive relationship
Strive to make relationships positive. Positive interactions by being able to acknowledge, accept, guide and attend to the child's efforts make the child feel wanted and accepted. This positive attention and acceptance makes her feel good about herself and encourages her to go further in her efforts. Encouragement builds a child. Parents' guidance and positive responses to children's requests help secure a positive relationship. Therefore, parents will have to make the day-to¬day interactions positive.
Being available for your child
Plan routines and activities at home that focus on relationships. Gerber (1991) highly recommends the importance of 'want something' quality time and 'want nothing' quality time in emphasising and building positive relationships. It is full unhurried attention. Gerber suggests that in the 'want nothing' quality time, the parent doesn't want to do anything with the child and has no plans other than wanting to simply be with the child. As a parent you're just sitting on the floor, you're available; you're there with all the senses awakened to the child; watching, listening, thinking of only that child. In this relationship, the message that is transpired to the child is "I'm totally available for you". You are telling the child you are really there and aware; not having on your mind what to cook or that clothes have to be washed. Your total presence, both mind and body, is there for your child. This should also be considered as a free-flowing space and time in which the child shouldn't feel she has to perform. Most relationships are based on performance. We make children listen, watch and do as a form of stimulation. It is a comforting feeling for a child for you to be just there with her. It is a peaceful presence and a quiet assurance in this togetherness. Gerber explains that by being available, and waiting without expecting results all the time, you provide the pathway for the child to be the initiator.

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