According to experts, to raise a happy and confident child, parents need to take certain steps, starting from infancy.

Eat, Drink, and Play: Simple Satisfaction is the Foundation for Emotional Stability

Children need adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and attentive care. Most crying bouts are due to unmet needs. Only when children get enough sleep, eat enough, and feel comfortable do they tend to be cheerful and content.

Regarding play, interesting toys and games can essentially meet their needs. Play is the best way to keep children cheerful.

Eating, drinking, and playing provide simple satisfaction, laying the foundation for emotional stability.

Mothers should engage in age-appropriate play with their children daily to enrich their lives.

Additionally, children need to learn proper social skills. For instance, mothers can take their children out to interact with kind and friendly strangers. Connect them with peers of a similar age.

Hugs and Touch: Children will be Emotionally Stable and More Confident

According to a survey by American psychologist Rene Spitz, if childcare institutions rely solely on mechanized feeding and avoid human contact, children’s physical and mental development will be severely impacted.

His research demonstrated that children require human interaction and care to develop holistically. A lack of affectionate care can lead to loneliness and difficulties in forming social relationships in the future.

Hugs and physical touch help children develop emotional stability and confidence.

Skin-to-skin contact can fulfill emotional needs and is key to a child’s emotional development and the formation of interpersonal relationships.

Warm hugs, gentle handholds, and kisses from parents are not just displays of affection but also ways for children to perceive themselves and the world around them. These actions make children feel loved, secure, and protected.

The warmer and closer the embrace, the more emotionally secure and confident a child will become.

Maternal Bond: Mommy, I Love You, Too

Newborns have the closest contact with their mothers. A mother’s warm embrace, sweet milk, charming smile, and gentle caresses make the child feel comfortable and content. When a mother playfully teases, the child will soon respond with a smile.

This cheerful emotion gradually forms a strong bond between the child and the mother, making the child feel safe and happy. This healthy relationship is the starting point for the child’s development of happy emotions.

Additionally, a mother’s emotions can truly influence her child. An anxious mother may raise anxious children.

Therefore, mothers should try to prevent their negative emotions from impacting their children.

Harmonious Family Relationships: Building Trust and Conveying Positive Emotions

Even at a very young age, children can sense the atmosphere between their parents. Their emotional development progresses gradually from the inside out.

Parents and family members are a child’s first points of contact, serving as role models for behavior.

A happy and harmonious family life can help children build trust, and the expression of positive emotions can lay the foundation for future relationships.

A harmonious family relationship helps build trust and convey positive emotions.

In life, work pressures, family conflicts, and the challenges of raising young children are inevitable.

However, don’t transmit stress directly to your children. Avoid arguing or taking out your frustrations on them. Even in disagreements, family members should respect, understand, and resolve conflicts peacefully. Apart from making children feel better, this also teaches them how to cope with stress.

Responding to Crying: Valuing a Child’s Tears Means Attending to Their Emotions

Apart from expressing basic needs like hunger, children sometimes cry without an apparent reason. In such situations, some parents may display indifference or ignore their child’s tears. This can have negative consequences.

Parents need to recognize that indifference can make children feel insecure, leading to emotions like irritability, anxiety, and fear. These emotions impact their current mood and hinder the development of stable emotions and a healthy personality in the future.

Valuing a child’s tears means paying attention to their emotions.

When a child cries for “no reason,” they may simply need some psychological comfort. Parents don’t have to fulfill their child’s every whim, but a timely response with empathy will help them feel safe and loved.

Gentle hugs or words of comfort are precious “medicines” for a child’s spirit, helping them realize that their emotions are valued and respected.



Frequently asked questions

There are 5 key things a mother should focus on: Firstly, creating a safe and loving environment is crucial. This involves being present, responsive, and providing physical affection to your child. Secondly, mothers should prioritize their own mental health and well-being, as children learn from example. Taking care of yourself sets a positive precedent for your child’s future habits. Third, encourage exploration and independence, allowing children to develop their sense of self and build confidence in their abilities. Fourth, teach them about emotions and how to manage them effectively. Finally, provide opportunities for social interaction and help your child develop healthy relationships with others.

A mother’s mental health is of utmost importance in a child’s development. Children are highly sensitive to their mother’s emotional state and can pick up on any stress, anxiety, or depression. If a mother is struggling with her mental health, it can impact her ability to be present and responsive to her child’s needs, which in turn can make the child feel insecure and less confident. Seeking support and prioritizing self-care is essential for mothers to ensure their children grow up in a stable and nurturing environment.

Encouraging independence and exploration allows children to develop a sense of self-efficacy and confidence in their abilities. When children are given the freedom to explore and make their own decisions (within safe boundaries), they learn to trust their own judgment and become more resilient. This fosters a positive attitude towards learning and taking on new challenges, which will benefit them throughout their lives.

Mothers can start by labeling their child’s emotions and helping them understand what they are feeling. For example, ‘I can see you’re feeling sad because you dropped your ice cream’. This helps children develop emotional intelligence. Additionally, mothers can model effective emotional regulation by managing their own emotions healthily. When upset, explain to your child what you’re doing to calm down, such as taking deep breaths or going for a walk, so they can learn these strategies themselves.

Providing opportunities for social interaction is key. This can include playdates, attending mommy-and-me groups, or enrolling them in preschool or daycare. During these interactions, mothers can guide their children in developing social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and respecting others. It’s also important to model healthy social behavior yourself by maintaining positive relationships and resolving conflicts peacefully, as children learn a lot from observing their parents’ interactions.