There is no “you” or “me,” there is only “us” together.
Dear readers, I believe that family communication and relationships have a significant impact on social consciousness. I believe that our children and young people, who fulfill their need for love and acceptance within the family, will be the guarantee of a bright future and tomorrow for our strong Turkey.
Within this context, I would like to share with you today’s article written by my dear wife, Çiğdem. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read it, and I send you my love and respect.
There is no “you” or “me,” there is only “us” together.
Children observe the positive and negative behaviors of their parents and other adults around them. They imitate and model these behaviors. Learned behaviors are reinforced by the child through praise of their personality. These praises, in turn,
This could be expressed as, “That was a very nice thing to do,” or “You are a very considerate child.” Such helpful behavioral patterns are particularly effective in the early years. A 19-month-old child might watch attentively as their mother sweeps, and might even imitate her by picking up cleaning tools.
Many studies show that having these types of supportive role models increases positive social responses in young children. Building a healthy life depends on the influence of parents. Certain characteristics of the role model influence children’s desire to imitate them. To elaborate with examples, we can say the following:
Warmth and Responsiveness:
Preschool children tend to imitate the positive social behaviors of warm and responsive parents who treat them as individuals. In this way, the child listens attentively to and internalizes the parents’ words and advice.
Consistency Between Words and Actions:
If the advice given by parents, who serve as role models for children, is inconsistent with their own actions, children will not be able to internalize the correct behavior. For example, if parents talk about honesty and truthfulness but forget this advice and gossip about others in front of their child, the child, unable to observe honesty and truthfulness in their parents, will not be able to adopt these positive behaviors.
Children who build their lives on healthy foundations will be able to develop relationships with their inner and outer worlds based on trust, love, and democracy. Children who develop healthy relationships will reinforce their definition of life with the perspective that “there is no ‘you’ or ‘me,’ there is ‘us’ together.”
In this context, I think it’s important for parents to recognize the powerful influence they have on their children and to be role models.
With love and respect.
Çiğdem Gül Uğural
