What are my children Trying to say?

            Part of parenting is getting to know our children, so we can make strong bonds and have a healthy relationship with them. Many times, parents do not know why children have certain behaviors and what they mean. Attention is a common topic discussed among parents, but what most parents often do not know is that children need attention. Most of the time children have the wrong approach when they want attention, and many parents do not know what to do to avoid these wrong approaches. I will be discussing why children need attention, what are examples of wrong approaches when children are seeking attention, and what parents can do about it.

            First, why do children need attention? Children need attention to grow emotionally, develop their self-esteem, confidence, and a positive sense of identity. That is the reason why children seek attention. Children want to have quality time with their parents, but often parents are busy with work, chores, studying, among other things, which makes them feel neglected, that is when children start having wrong approaches to attention seeking.

            Second, what is attention seeking? It is when children unconsciously or consciously attempt to become the center of attention or gain validation about something they are doing. During this process, many behaviors such as misbehaving to provoke a reaction, pretending they cannot do something to receive help, finishing to do something to receive compliments, etc. These behaviors are wrong approaches that children make to receive attention from their parents, and they are often misinterpreted. It is normal for children to misbehave when they want attention and they do not receive it. That is the reason why we should pay attention to our children’s behaviors, to make sure we are reading the signs they are giving us. I personally think that knowing what these behaviors mean will make all the difference in how we deal with them. Let’s not be tough on our children when we are the ones that should stop what we are doing to give them what they need.

             Third, what can parents do to avoid attention seeking? The answer to this question is easy parents must spend time with their children. It does not need to be hours long. It can be like 15 minutes after school or before dinner. If your child is not going to school yet you can do it at different times during the day. Children Just want to be with you, so make it happen. For example, when I was little my dad would be working during the day, and I would only see him at night. He would arrive home later and, most of the time, I would be already sleeping because I needed to go to school the next day. I always wanted to have some quality time with my dad, but I knew he would arrive late. So, what my dad did was simple, but it was very special to me. In the mornings, he would take me to the bakery to buy bread for our family, but on the way to the bakery we would have a bicycle race to see who would get there first. My dad would always let me win, but that did not matter to me because that was my time with my dad.

It is crazy to think that all our children want is to spend time with us. I know that sometimes it can be very difficult to have time and decide to spend it with our children, but it is not impossible, we just need to think outside the box. I believe that the time we spend with our children will not only be beneficial to them, but also to us. Let’s pay attention to our children and make memories that will warm our hearts forever.