Molding his character-its never too early

‘Character is like smoke, it cannot be hidden’

Good character is treasured. And just like our parents strove to instill it in us, we want to pass it on to our children. It may not mean the same thing to everyone but there are distinctive qualities in character that we all appreciate. A courteous and respectful child, obedient and with good morals to boot is one to behold.

The environment a child is brought up in determines how he turns out. The environment in this case, includes you the parent. How much are you influencing the character that you want your baby to acquire? Are you pampering your child to the point of spoiling them? Or are you raising him to understand what it means to embrace positive human values?

As a parent, it pays to start teaching your child to be a person of good character at the earliest possible-from birth. Most important, ensure you bond with him. It is through parent-child bonding that the infant acquires his identity. Here are character traits important for a baby to embrace. The responsibility to ensure this happens from the word go falls on you.

Trustworthiness
Consistent interaction with your infant over time helps them understand trustworthiness and to act in a trustworthy manner. The first years of life are trust-building years. Even though infants do not have the capacity to exhibit trustworthy behaviours, they have the capacity to learn from others.
Every time you respond quickly and appropriately to your infant’s cries, coos and smiles, you are building trust. This trait ensures that the baby learns to tell the truth, follows rules, does what he says he will do and does not take things that do not belong to him.

Respect
The foundations of respect begin in infancy. When you talk to your infant in response to their cries and coos, you are showing them that their situation is important. When your baby cries you might say, ‘You must be hungry. I am getting you something right now.’ This may not stop the baby from crying, but it will reassure her. It is also the first step in teaching the baby to talk about her problems. This trait ensures that the baby learns how to be kind to friends and family, how to have good manners, and how not to hit or hurt others. It also teaches them how to talk about their problems.

Responsibility
Once infants start weaning, give them the opportunity to feed themselves. They will learn the art of trying by picking up bits of food off the plate. They can also learn to use a spoon at an early age (9-12 months) if you provide a plastic baby spoon with a big easy grip.

Quick responses to the child’s calls and cries will teach him that he is important and that it is important to help friends and family. Teaching responsibility ensures that with time the baby does what he is supposed to do, keeps on trying even when it seems hard, always does his best and is comfortable in helping out with friends and family.

Fairness
Listening to the baby is an important way of establishing a foundation for teaching fairness. When your baby is awake and alert, listen to the different sounds he makes and respond to them. When the baby starts babbling, he will love to hear you mimic the sounds he makes. This way you encourage language development. Remember that listening is character development.

Babies who are listened to will learn they are important and valuable, and they will be more likely to listen to others when they are older. This trait helps a baby to know and follow rules, share and listen to friends and family and not heap blame when things are not right.

Caring
When infants cry, coo or smile, respond in an appropriate manner. This way you are teaching them about caring. Holding your baby and playing with him is another way of being kind, of demonstrating that you care. He in turn will be demonstrative when he grows, and portray the same when he grows up. Teach them to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, two phrases that are hall marks of good manners.

Citizenship
Social conduct is important. You can introduce young ones to citizenship by making them feel like members of the community. Go for walks in your neighborhood to expose them to the world that is larger than your home. A child who feels connected to the outside world through exposure to it will want to be an active member of the society. This will help a child to respect those in authority, obey rules, be cooperative and to respect the environment, by taking care of trees and avoiding littering.

END: BL18/52