Parenting Classes Kansas City MO

Do you think that your baby is too young for you to enjoy interacting with him? Think again. There is a lot you can do, using  baby sign language , that will be fun for both of you. Additionally, it will also have a beneficial effect on your baby's development.

• Talk to your baby. Identify the different sounds and gestures particular to your baby. Try to interpret these gestures to understand what your baby is telling you. You may want to research baby sign language training for you and your baby if you're interested in this mode of communication.
  
  
• Smile and coo at your baby. Your baby will soon learn to smile and coo back at you. This is not just a game-it is a form of baby sign language that will teach your baby about a two-way conversation.
  
  
• While changing, bathing, or feeding, tell the baby what you are doing. This way your baby will learn to associate your speech with the action you are performing.
  
  
• Give your baby different things to hold in his hand, like a rattle, a wad of cotton, a handkerchief, or a piece of paper. Infants enjoy finding out the properties of different objects. For instance, they learn to shake a rattle to produce sound, or crumple a piece of paper and straighten it out again.
  
  
• Encourage your baby to look at you and imitate what you are doing. This is also similar to using baby sign language. Your baby will soon learn to put on a cap, pull off socks,...

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Your parenting style is likely to impact the way your child grows up. Being responsive to your children, and at the same time, setting clear rules and limits, is crucial for you as a parent. Based on this, four main styles of parenting have been identified:

• "Just do it or else" - Some parents adopt a highly authoritarian, dictatorial style. They expect children to obey orders without questioning. Rules are well defined in such households and breaking them usually invites punishment. Such a system is typical of societies where little change is expected and deviance from normal behavior can be costly such as a rural or agrarian society.
  
  
• "A no means a no" - Some parents are firm, assertive, and authoritative without being authoritarian. They set clear rules, and are firm about discipline without using harsh punishment. Children in such homes are expected to be socially responsible.
  
  
• "Do anything you want" - Parents with this style believe in the permissive or indulgent approach. They do not demand responsible behavior and avoid confrontation with their children. Several parents in the 50s and 60s adopted this style.
  
  
• "I don't care what you do" - Few parents remain uninvolved in their children's lives, which in few cases, borders on neglect.

Typically, most parents are variations or combinations of the above four styles.

There is no "right" or "wrong" parenting style though we all have prejudices on what we think works best based on our own experience and values.  Research, however, has shown the effects of various parenting styles on children:

• Children that have grown up in authoritarian settings, tend to show average performance in school but lack spontaneity, effective social skills, and self-confidence.
  
  
• Childre...