• Respond promptly and lovingly to your child's physical and emotional needs and banish put-downs from your parenting vocabulary.


• Make an extra to me a good role model at home and in public.

• Use words like "I'm sorry," "please," and "thank you."

• When your child is angry, argumentative or in a bad mood, give her a hug, cuddle, pat, secret sign or other gesture of affection he favors and talk with her about his feelings.

• Make plans to spend time alone with your young child doing something she enjoys.

• Mark family activity nights or days on your calendar so the entire family can be together. Put a different family member's name under each date, and have that person choose what the activity will be for that  date.

• Owning a pet can make children, especially those with chronic illnesses and disabilities, feel better by stimulating physical activity, enhancing their overall attitude, and offering constant companionship.

• One of the best ways to familiarize your child with good food choices is to encourage him to cook with you. Let her get involved in the entire process, from planning the menus to shopping for ingredients to the actual food preparation and its serving.

• As your child grows up, she'll spend most of her time developing and refining a variety of skills and abilities in all areas of her life. You should help her as much as possible by encouraging her and providing the equipment and instruction she needs.

• Your child's health depends significantly on the care and guidance you offer during her early years. By taking your child to the doctor regularly for consultations, keeping her safe from accidents, providing a nutritious diet, and encouraging exercise throughout childhood, you help protect and strengthen her body.

• Help your child foster positive relationships with friends, siblings and members of the community.

• One of your most important gifts as a parent is to help your child develop self-esteem. Your child needs your steady support and encouragement to discover her strengths.She needs you to believe in her as she learns to believe in herself. Loving her, spending time with her, listening to her and praising her accomplishments are all part of this process.

• Use plenty of positive words with your child. Try to avoid using sarcasm with your child. They often don’t understand it, and if they do, it creates a negative interaction.

• Don't forget to say, "I love you" to children of all ages!

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