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 lightbulb  Understand

"Understanding sets the tone for openness in the relationship between parent and child." Dorothy E. James, Human Development Specialist, Texas A & M.

Parents must UNDERSTAND their children—how they develop, what their needs are, and their uniqueness. Each child has different abilities and sees the world in a new way. When you understand your children, you have fewer conflicts with them. Understanding children helps them become secure and healthy people. Children need understanding from the people close to them in order to become caring, loving people.

"Each child has different abilities, and sees the world in a new way."

Practices for UNDERSTANDING

  • Pay attention to how your children are developing.
  • See how your children affect and respond to what happens around them.

What We Know About UNDERSTANDING

  1. Some parents believe that the way they raise their children will affect how their children act. Others believe their parenting has little effect; that their children are "just born that way."
  2. Parents are better at raising their children when they know about their own child, about child development, and about child rearing.
  3. Parents compare their children to other children the same age to see if they are developing normally.
  4. The way parents raise their children is affected by their culture, their family, and their generation.
  5. Children thrive when the environment suits their own personal style.
  6. Parents who believe that a child is "difficult" spend less time with that child, and may not respond to his or her needs.
  7. Children generally see themselves the way they hear their parents describe them.
    8.

Understand Publications  

This material is adapted with permission. Smith, C. A., Cudaback, D., Goddard, H. W., & Myers-Walls, J. A. (1994). National Extension Parent Education Model. Manhattan, KS: Kansas Cooperative Extension System.

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Last Modified: 08/29/07
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