Finally Home
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
All parents want to succeed in raising emotionally healthy children. Parents who adopt have already invested greatly in the life of a child even before they see or hold him. Although most parents are aware that children who arrive later in infancy or childhood require more careful parenting, not all know how to do this.
Parenting the adopted child requires not only skills of nurturing to build healthy relationships but also skills to decrease any upset of losses or mistreatment that the child might have experienced. Research shows that being intentional in our parenting can significantly ease the transition of change in an adopted child's life.
What is most important for the parent to focus on during that first year of transition? They don't want to be so overly focused on potential that they are unable to enjoy their little one. Parents can help make the first year a great one by following these six steps.
The first step is to begin building a trusting relationship by extra nurturing. Purposely nurture your precious little one. Limit your time away from your child. Meet your child's needs consistently in a sensitive manner. Respond quickly to his needs and allow your child to regress. Bottle feeding, rocking to sleep and being carried can all contribute to building a trusting relationship.
Let your child experience you as a safe person who is meeting his needs. Eye contact and focused attention are also important. Playing games like peek-a-boo and pony rides etc will promote healthy bonding. Your child will begin to discover that he is safe with you.
I'll be sharing some more steps which you can take in future blogs. Feel free to leave your comments and share your experiences and thoughts.All parents want to succeed in raising emotionally healthy children.
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