Special Moments

According to noted child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry, children who have one or more trusted and loving adults in their lives have a huge advantage over children who don't. Having a strong relationship with an adult such as a parent, grandparent, or aunt encourages children to succeed and helps them survive the bumps they experience in the world outside their home. In our own busy and complex lives, it's good to find out that it's often the small efforts we make with children that can send them the message that we are there for them.

Think About It
Think back to your childhood. Who do you remember as a key adult in your like? What fond memories pop into your mind when you think about that adult? For me, it was one of my grandmothers. I remmeber her taking me grocery shopping with her, letting me use her cold cream on my hands after my bath, and teaching me how to make mashed potates. In all these things, te message was that she wanted me around and wanted to share her life with me. Remember your own special moments and try to pass them on to the important child in your life.

Some Ideas

• Rock and sing to your baby or young child. Smooth lotion on each other's hands.
• Cook a meal together. Fix a broken item together. Fold laundry together. 
• Spend five minutes with your child at bedtime. Turn off the TV and the cell phone. Just chat together. 
• Plan a weekly lunch date with older children when you can sit together and chat as friends. 

Jenna Bilmes

From Beyond Behavior Management: The Six Life Skills Children Need, second edition by Jenna Bilmes, 2012. Published by Redleaf Press, www.redleafpress.org. Reproduced with permission.