Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Preschool years and beyond

Snapshots of your older child would show extraordinary eagerness to branch out in many directions at once. The preschooler’s independence is rapidly turning into self sufficiency, though frustration is evident when she bungles the knots on her shoes or reads the wrong time from the big and little hands of the clock. The confidence she will gain is another key factor in her present in future happiness. Experiencing frustrations and setbacks will teach her about life’s realities, and weathering strife filled episodes at home will help her see that the loving bond with her parents remains firm and unbroken, no matter what.

The ties of affection and trust established in her infant and toddler years will now blossom too, into a host of social skills- a generosity of spirit, cooperative attitude, and consideration for other people’s feelings- that will win her a welcome place in the society of her peers.

You will see your child’s curiosity and adventurousness now finding their greatest expression in the pleasures of make-believe, which she pursues intensely. In fact, a flourishing imagination is one of the clearest reflections of healthy development. Children use pretend play to experiment with what they see and feel. By lavishing affecting on her doll one minute and becoming mock aggravated with her the next, your child shows that she understands and feels comfortable expressing all kinds of feelings – an important dimension of emotional growth.

No recipe exists for the proper mix of behavioral ingredients, just an understanding that the blend will be complex and rich. If you have supplied a nourishing climate of unmitigated love, acceptance and appropriate limits, your child’s emotions will range wide and run deep: you can take that as the surest thing that you have a happy child

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