It takes a village, they say, to raise a child. Well it also takes as many hints, tips, and tricks as possible to make your life easier and to build a stronger relationship with your child. That doesn’t mean your little bundle of joy will make it easy for you as they grow older. Your child has three different phases: toddler, tween, and teen. Over the next few blog posts, we will be bringing you the ten best tips for each phase. Here’s to making the three T’s more enjoyable for you and your child.
| 1) Set the boundaries. Once your child knows the boundaries, they will have the freedom of exploring without wondering what they can and cannot do. |  |
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| 2) Give independence. Teach your child how to clean his/her room, get dressed, or clear the table. Once they learn, let them do it on their own. |  |
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| 3) Let your toddler choose. Play a game they choose, made up or real, as long as you play by their rules. Every once in awhile, let them choose the dinner menu. |  |
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| 4) Monkey see, monkey do. Your child is always watching what you do and will learn from you. Set a positive example for them. |  |
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| 5) Honesty is the best policy. Teach your kids that being honest is more important to you than anything. Never punish honesty. |  |
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| 6) Cheer them on. Positive praise for everything isn’t a bad thing. Tell them how much you appreciate them picking up their toys. |  |
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| 7) Ask questions. Have conversations with your child, ask them questions about their day and it will teach them invaluable conversation skills. |  |
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| 8) Read together. Read with and for your child. Then ask about the characters, who was good, bad, mean, nice? |  |
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| 9) Eat as a family. Family time is valuable, eat without the tv and engage with your family at meal times. |  |
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| 10) Say I love you. You can never say it enough. |  |
