« Sensitive parents enthusiastically encourage their child’s need to explore and make sure the
child is safe by setting limits. »
Coordinator:
Kristell Le Martret
Collaborators:
Isabelle Vinet (CPEQ) and Michel Boivin
Copy editors:
Sandra Braun and Lana Crossman
Translation:
Donna Riley
Graphic design:
DesJardins Conception Graphique inc.
When responsiveness and beliefs enter the picture
Published online April 23, 2008
What do we know?
- Parents encourage their children’s autonomy by evaluating their needs and responding right away (especially between ages 0 and 1) and later by giving them proper supervision (clear rules, encouragement).
- Loving parents who make an effort to understand what their children are trying to tell them make it easier for their children to respect rules, cooperate and get along with others.
- Sensitive parents pay attention to their child’s distress. By reacting to the child’s crying calmly and quickly, they reinforce the child’s feelings of security and offer valuable comfort.
- Sensitive parents enthusiastically encourage their child’s need to explore and make sure the child is safe by setting limits.
- Parents will behave positively or negatively toward their child based on the feelings they have when they are with the child, their memories of their own childhood, and their beliefs about education.
- Parents often behave toward their children the way their own parents behaved toward them.
- Parents who believe they are not effective are likely to abandon their own rules when their child is resistant (such as not applying the consequence when the child breaks a rule).
- It is easier for parents to resolve a conflict if they can clearly identify their child’s emotions.
- The sources of information about child development that parents consult will affect the strategies they use. Well-informed parents know more about the challenges they will face and are able to adapt when the time comes.
| paying attention to... |
what can be done? |
| ... the fact that a child’s behaviour creates an emotional response in the parent. |
- Identify the emotion felt when facing the child’s behaviour (for example, anger, fear, disappointment, sadness, etc.).
|
| ... the challenges that children face as they grow up. |
- Consult informative materials on child development (such as books, websites,etc.).
|
| ... figuring out the ways in which children express their emotions. |
- Name the emotion and the signs of the emotion that is observed in the child.
- Ask the child questions.
|
| ... what the situations experienced by parents and children have in common. |
- Ask yourself what provoked this difficult behaviour and what are the consequences (for you, for the child, and for others).
|
Information
The Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development identifies and summarizes
the best scientific work on the social and emotional development of young children.
It disseminates this knowledge to a variety of audiences in formats and languages
adapted to their needs.
For a more in-depth understanding of discipline, consult our experts’
(aggression/parenting skills) articles in the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood
Development, available free of charge at: www.child-encyclopedia.com.
This information sheet is published by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood
Development, one of four Centres of Excellence for Children’s Well-Being. Funding
for the Centres of Excellence is provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors/researchers and
do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
We are grateful to the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon for its financial
contribution to produce this information sheet.
Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development
GRIP-Université de Montréal
P.O. Box 6128, Succursale Centre-ville
Montreal (Quebec) H3C 3J7
Telephone: 514.343.6111, extension 2576
Fax: 514.343.6962
E-mail: cedje-ceecd@umontreal.ca
Website: www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca
In this document, the masculine form is used to simplify the text. No discrimination is intended.