A Protective Factor for Building a Strong Family: Helping Your Child Develop Social and Emotional Competence

You know your child better than anyone in very personal ways. You know her favorite foods, stories, and games. You know what makes her laugh and what makes her angry and sad. You know how to comfort her and to encourage her.

Your relationship with her is the model for relationships she will make for the rest of her life. Everyday you are teaching her what to expect from another person. You are also teaching her about who she is and how other people see her.

You know when things are going well for her. And when you have a question about how she is doing. If and when things just don’t seem right, talk with her health care provider. It is one of the many ways you help your child be all she can be as she moves out into the world.

Here are some questions to ask yourself about your child social and emotional development:

• How do you think your child feels about herself? About other people?
• Is your child comfortable spending time with other adults? Other children?
• What are some of her favorite activities with other adults in her life? Other children?
• How do you think the ways that you usually communicate with your child affects both the way your child feels about herself and feels about others?

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