Families are increasingly become single child family. Some parenting tips for single child's mental and social health 

IWill blogs

Families are increasingly become single child family. There are several evolving socio family and economic causes that are leading to this decision.

Parents are doing a great job in raising the next generation. And yet many sometimes feel, their child lacks social cohesion, sharing and some team skills that used to be developed very naturally because the child had other siblings.

The following tips will provide insights into how parents can enhance their child's social learning and mental health 

1. Take them out for daily social activities 

Whether it's a park full of kids, or a membership based kid space, it's important that your child interacts, plays, and spends time with kids his age. This will develop ability to speak, assert, learn group behavior and develop important social and interpersonal skills. And this needs to be in addition to school activities. 

 

2. Talk to them to support, work with and care for other kids

Often time when it's two siblings, parents teach the children all the time, the importance to share, to not gey angry on the sibling, to be forgiving and also to see things differently than they are.

 

But when a child plays with kids, this important learning isn't as emphasised or reached and this is what leads kids to have some unchecked behaviors like excessive competition, lack of empathy and understanding of someone, else's, view point and unhealthy coping mechanism development.

 

3. Be involved with them

Social bonding, interaction, sharing is so important for your growing kid. Your child only has you and unlike you doesn't have other siblings at-home all the time to interact with hence it's your responsibility to make them feel loved, involved and bond. So you must make efforts to be consistent with that extra effort.

 

4. Gratitude and gratefulness

Your child gets most things so easily because there is ample, there is no sharing required, the child is also loved and pampered but this may develop an unrealistic expectation in your child that resources are easily available and also develop a lack of gratitude for things he/she receives.

Hence it's important to teach them gratitude, make availability of things linked to certain actions to develop a sense of action and responsibility.

 

5. Hearing them out and emotional support 

As they may be growing up, things they could easily share with their siblings because they felt less scared of them, and felt more comfortable thinking that it could be a safe space to discuss and share, has gone missing, so it's important that now you create that space. Encourage and enable the kid to share things with you, to have a relationship so that they can not suffer in silence but share, vent out and speak on things that are bothering them.

Having a child is a blessing. Parenting needs to adapt to the new family structure and realities and include some extra effort so that the child development, emotional health all remain excellent.