GOAL SLOGAN: OTHER PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT TOO
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
The questions below are designed to help you think about how you can help from home with the skills development programme your child is taking part in.
- How do I try to accept and respect the feelings of my child or to what extent do I think that he has to think and feel in a way that I consider to be appropriate?
- When and where does the use of freedom begin for my children? How do we address the small decisions that they have to take?
- How do we provide support to our children in terms of their friendships? Do we let them invite friends over? Do we let them go to their friends’ houses? What (logical) conditions do we impose? Is my son aware of the criteria we have for inviting someone over?
HOW CAN WE HELP?
The suggestions below show when personal parental involvement is necessary. The aim of the subjects proposed is to demonstrate where you might be able to support your child and help him to work on developing this month’s skill.
- By responding to any anxiety he may have by trying to accept his feelings instead of denying them. If, for example he tells you that he has lost his pencil, don’t say it doesn’t matter, we’ll buy you another one.” Instead try and acknowledge his feelings, with a phrase like “Oh, what a shame, it was the one your grandmother gave you.”
- Help your child to overcome shame or embarrassment with polite details in public places, things like giving up your seat to the elderly or letting them go first, greeting people in the street, and taking his turn when in a shop.
- Try to ensure that they respect the conversations of others, waiting their turn to speak and not interrupting.
