Is my child a mini adult?

Now our child no longer looks like a baby. They may speak like an adult or their body language may begin to resemble the adults. They may also be able to do many things and say many things and think many things they didn’t do, say or think before. They also want to do things on their own and there’s a strong drive towards independence. The way we need to speak with them shifts, the things we speak about shifts. This may give us a semblance of dealing with a mini adult.

For this reason, it becomes necessary for us to remind ourselves that we are still dealing with a child and not a mini adult. Our child still hasn’t fully developed the brain structures necessary to deal with emotions, to make wise decisions, to control strong impulses, to understand consequences, and so on.

They still need help when it comes to soothing themselves or dealing with overwhelming experiences or processing/channelling their emotions. They still need the safe space and the warm positive regard and the space where they are understood.

Activity:

Over the past week, what did you expect from your child?

How have your expectations changed over the past two years?

Which expectations do you need to change to align with the reality that the child is still a child when it comes to certain things?