Knowing what someone else is thinking is still unknown territory but, probably one day, somewhere in the future, it will be possible. Until that time we have to say what is on our mind by expressing our thoughts and feelings. A parent is always thinking how to make life better for his/her child, how important he/she is to his life, how very much he is loved. Thinking it is only part of the equation. Just as your are not a mind reader, neither is your child. A parent needs to make his thoughts heard and understood by his child. Children need to know that they are loved, appreciated and valued. They need to hear the words “I love you” from their parents often. For a child, knowing that he/she is loved by his parents instills confidence, security and well being in his/her life. Tell your child the love you think and feel – say the most important words they will ever hear – “I love you”. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Grandparents start off thinking that the most important aspect of being a grandparent is what name their new grandchild will call them. They quickly learn that is only a small part of being a grandparent. In fact, as time passes and this tiny bundle has stolen their hearts, whatever name their grandchild decides to call them will be perfectly ok. Becoming a grandparent is one of life’s most cherished passages which you have earned. Grandparents and children form strong, loving relationships that age plays little part in. The love that grandchildren and grandparents share is uniquely special and important to each. Take pleasure in your new role and relislh this time in your life. Enjoy every precious moment together – remember, you are making memories that your grandchild will tell his/her grandchild. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Telling your child “I love you” for the first time is the most wonderful feeling one can experience. The words express feelings that are deep, heartfelt and indescribable. Telling a child how much he/she is loved teaches life’s most important lesson – express the love you feel inside to those who are important to you. A child needs to know that he/she is loved by the most important people in his life, his parents. When a child is denied hearing these important words of love he/she grows up thinking that he is unlovable and finds it impossible to express love to his own children. The truth is that parents who missed hearing “I love you” probably had parents who missed hearing those words as well. Love is like a thread that weaves throughout our lives from one generation to another and should always be strong, never ending and unbroken. Begin weaving the thread of love today by telling your child “I love you”. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Having fun with your child is a way for you and him/her to let go and just act silly. It is a time when you can be a kid right along with him. Life is so often rigid with strict rules to follow. Acting silly allows a kid to let out all of the pent up excitement and energy that builds up and must be controlled throughout the day. Acting silly with your child can be anything from letting him/her ride on your back to who can make the funniest faces. Hearing your child laugh is the best sound your can hear. It is full of life, happiness and love. Enjoy having fun with your child every chance you can get. It’s the silly times that you want to remember to tell your grandchildren about. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

In this case, constant means being there for your child. Being constant in your child’s life means putting all other distractions on hold and focusing on his/her needs. Being there shows that your love for him is far more important than anything else that is happening. It only takes a moment to stop and listen to what your child is saying proving that no matter how busy you are, you always have time for him. Being there for your child sends a message that your love is strong, never ending and constant. For more information wrww.sheilaaronbooks.com.

I love you – words that seem effortless for some to say are impossible for others. Why is that so? One reason may be that those who are comfortable saying these three words heard them when they were children and those who did not hear them are uncomfortable saying them to their children. The words “I love you” have so much meaning and importance that those who missed hearing them as a child find saying them to their own child awkward and difficult. It is understandable how one would find it hard to express these heart felt words. Keep in mind that allowing yourself to say these words are like overcoming any fear – once you do it you realize how easy it was and how good you feel for doing it. Telling your child “I love you” opens new doors of communication that might have otherwise stayed closed. Be willing to open the first door and all the others will fall open just by saying what is in your heart – “I love you”. Children need and want to know that they are loved more than any other thing in their life. It cost nothing to say “I love you” and has more value than anything that money can buy. Tell your child “I love you” and you will be rewarded with the greatest gift a child can give a parent – the words “I love you too”. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Anger is a natural human emotion that you should allow yourself to feel. It should be directed at the person you are angry with and not at someone who happens to be nearby. Whether your anger happened today or decades ago, taking out your anger and resentment on your child, is unfair and abusive. Anger should be achknowledged so that misunderstandings can be set straight with apologies and forgiveness expressed. Those involved can then move on and an unfortunate situation put aside. Treat your child with kindness, respect and love while teaching him to express his feelings openly. Before he can feel comfortable openly expressing his feelings to you he must know that you can be trusted without fearing an angry reaction. Patience and understanding shown by you spares your child and yourself the sadness of anger, or even worse, rage. Be honest with yourself, come to terms with whoever you are angry with and let go of your anger. If not, it will perpetuate itself and you will suffer even more for it. How you deal with your anger will be passed on to your child who will learn to express his/her anger and frustration in the same negative way. Avoid the path of anger, rage and abuse. Take the path of trust, understanding and love and teach your child how to deal with anger in a mature and honest way. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Upsetting the normal routine in a child’s life can create havoc. Kids like to wear the samething everyday, eat the samething everday and have the same book read to them everyday. So how do you go about introducing a new item of clothing, food, book or anything new to them? Some children find change harder to accept than others. For those who have difficulty with it, it’s best to introduce little changes gradually. Instead of the usual Tshirt and shorts, find clothes with similar colors or let him/her pick out a change himself. Be prepared to agree to anything he chooses. If he is not ready, let the moment pass. Forcing a child who is relunctant will create an unpleasant situation and make change even harder next time. Let the choice be his to make and what ever he decides, praise him for making a very good decision. Children enjoy making choices and receiving praise – over time change will become an enjoyable experience for everyone. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.

Children learn quickly the concept of respect, that if you are respectful of yourself and others you will be treated respectfully in return. Self respect lays the ground work for how you treat everyone else in your life. As you interact with other people your child watches and observes -how you talk to someone, the tone of voice you use, if you are patient or impatient – all the while learning to be just like you. How you conduct yourself, the smile you manage to give when under duress or the anger you display, leave lasting impressions on your child’s impressionable mind. The way you treat people influences your child’s perception of how people should be treated. Teach your child self respect and as he/she goes through life this quality will guide him to show the same respect to others.
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Goals are hopes one strives to achieve. Just as you would teach your child the importance of achieving small accomplishments so should you teach your child to set long term goals and how to attain them. Setting goals teaches a child how to plan for something he hopes to achieve in the furute, how hard he/she will have to work to achieve it and the personal satisfaction he will feel when it has been reached. For a small child a simple way to start teaching goal setting could be giving a job that is easily completed followed by words of praise such as putting away all of his toys or making her bed. By setting the foundation of showing your child how to set goals allows him/her to start planning his own goals. The important thing to remember about setting goals for a child is to start off by making them attainable. If they are too hard to reach a child will feel discouraged and give up. The feeling of accomplishment will spur him/her on to try other goals. Whether your child succeeds or fails at reaching a goal, your support is really all that matters to him. Each new goal allows you another opportunity to show your child that you love him/her, whatever the outcome is. For you, this will be a goal well met. For more information www.sheilaaronbooks.com.