Category Children

Children, Parent

Discussing Boundaries With Kids

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by Nkirote Mbae

 
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‘Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary.’ -Doreen Virtue

From touching what they shouldn’t, to going where they have been told not to, children have a way of testing their parents’ limits and pushing their buttons. It is important to let children explore and question things to help them acquire independence and form their individual identities. Boundaries however are essential in making sure that they do this respectfully.

Boundaries set out clear guidelines and defined limits. This helps parents and children to avoid arguments, it gives the child a sense of security when a parent is the guide and source of authority and helps the child respect others and have self-control. Boundaries instill discipline and show the child that despite their quest for independence and their desire for defiance, their parents are still in charge. It is therefore necessary that parents establish clear healthy boundaries for their children. Here are a few tips to get you started on setting those healthy boundaries.

01. Clear and effective communication

Let the child know clearly what you expect from them and encourage your child to voice out their opinions, questions, and needs in a respectful way.

02. Do it with love

Be firm but kind when communicating or correcting your child. Do not scold, belittle or yell at the child. Your aim is to mold the child not to demean them, embarrass them or make them question their self-worth.

03. Give room for dialogue

Set clear rules for what is non-negotiable but give room for discussion for boundaries that are flexible. For example, boundaries set for the child’s safety may not be negotiable but some like bedtime or screen time can be adjusted on request if the need arises.

04. Be brief and to the point

While explanations are necessary, children’s attention spans are very low. Be brief and to the point. A long lecture about what they did may not be effective. Associate actions with consequences to make discipline more effective.

05. Be consistent in enforcing the set boundaries.

This avoids confusion and helps the child respect the set boundaries.

06. Patience is key

It may take some time for your child to adjust to the set boundaries, be patient as they get accustomed to following the set rules. Healthy boundaries foster respect and are necessary for good behavior and character.

Children, Parent

Childhood Trauma and It’s Impact Through Adulthood

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By Alex Kibebe. Original content by Benta Wambui (Paidion Parental Seminar)


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Childhood trauma can be described as an experience that a child goes through that leaves him or her with some form of anxiety, fear, or other negative effects. If this trauma is not resolved, it leads to adverse effects that are experienced even in adulthood.

The Needs of a Child

A child is born with diverse needs. These needs include health, education emotional, identity, relational, social, self-care, supervision, and guidance. These needs should be sufficiently met for a child to grow and mature wholesomely. However, when they are not substantively met or are abused in one form or another, it results in trauma.

The Importance of Our Childhood

Our identity, morals, behavior, and perception of life are substantively established during childhood. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it

According to the Bible, a large part of who we are is established when we are children. Interestingly, science also supports this truth.

How the Brain Works

Every new memory or experience that we encounter is stored through connections of neurons in our brains otherwise referred to as neural connections. These neural connections affect the way we behave or react to similar experiences or situations in future.

Development of the Brain During Childhood

The human brain develops the fastest within the first 1000 days of life and the rapid growth extends to year 5 or 6. Within this time, millions of neural connections are formed as the child gets to interact and experience his or her environments. These earlier years of life are therefore very critical in forming the foundational neural connections that will by extension affect the way we feel and act all the way into adulthood. Furthermore, the neural connections that are formed from traumatic experiences that result in fear or anxiety either due to abuse or acute neglect of childhood needs get deeply ingrained to our brain and may result in behavior that may be hard to alter even in adulthood.

Effects of Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma results in a myriad of behavior and responses that run through to adulthood. This includes; poor social skills, low self esteem, poor peer relationships, addictions, depression, aggression, insecure attachment styles, attention deficiencies, poor self regulation, eating and sleeping disorder For example children who are abused sexually may result into two extremes; they may end up being timid have a low esteem and impaired relationships with the opposite sex. Alternatively they may end up being bullies or sexually abuse others.

How do we Heal from Childhood Trauma?

In as much as we have already developed numerous neural connections, and how we feel and behave today has been shaped since childhood, there is still hope. Neural connections can change and adapt to new experiences. This change however happens when an emotion or behavior is sustained over a period of time. For you to change your neural connectors and by extension your behavior or feelings, you will need to be very intentional and patient – as it does take time. And the more ingrained neural connections are, the longer you may need to sustain the new action to change the connection.

For example, if you discover that you are detached from your children as an effect of your being neglected as a child, you can intentionally play with your children, tell your children you love them, spend time with them and find out how their day was. Initially, it may feel awkward and unnatural. However, if you persist with this, you will develop new neural connections that will by extension affect your future response and behavior. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Other steps that can be of great help while seeking to overcome childhood trauma include; Forgiving your aggressors and letting go of bitterness Breaking generational curses through prayer Memorizing God’s Word addressing your need – and pray Seeking therapy from a qualified counselor

Children, Parent

Different STYLES of ATTACHMENT

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Different STYLES of ATTACHMENT 

By James Kagombe


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Early childhood is extremely critical and forms a foundation and basis for many aspects of our adult life. One of the areas that early childhood experiences shape is how we relate with ourselves and others, This is largely influenced by the child's consistent primary caregiver and forms a lasting impression and pattern even later in life. 

The primary caregiver is not limited to the biological parents or mother but rather the one who is there consistently meeting the needs of the child. 


Children form an internal reference point largely informed by the interactions with their primary caregiver. This strongly guides future interactions and connections with others and especially in close and meaningful relationships. 

While there may be other contributing factors, our childhood experiences are strong predictors of our future styles of attachment. 



Attachment styles 


Our Attachment style or ability to connect with people can either be secure or insecure. It may also vary from one relationship to another I,e close friend, spouse, children, family. 


1. Secure attachment.


The caregiver who is consistent, responsive, and assuring to the child's needs, helps the child develop many positive traits like trust, confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, value, and assurance, feelings of acceptance.


The child is therefore able to go out and explore more knowing that they have a secure place that they can return to and can handle the distance or space from the caregiver because they are confident that they will return.

The child is able to grow up to be a wholesome secure individual and can easily develop trust which is a key pillar in close and meaningful relationships. 


They are also able to handle space and distance from their relationships and are able to express their relational needs positively and are more likely to seek help when in need and develop connections easily with others. 


2. Insecure attachment 


This happens when a child's primary caregiver is inconsistent, unpredictable, disengaged, anxious, unresponsive, unavailable, indifferent, rejecting, aggressive, abusive, or disapproves of the vulnerability of the child and their needs.

Insecure attachment can also be experienced when the child's primary caregiver dies or there is long-term separation maybe by divorce or imprisonment or long illness or maybe distance because of work. The caregiver might also be struggling with trauma in their own life, addiction, or even depression or mental health issues.

The child is insecurely attached and feels insecure and can't trust or rely on the caregiver. This can lead to extreme anxiety. When the child is left alone, they could suppress these feelings and act as if they are fine outwardly but inside they are constantly anxious.



Signs of insecure attachment 


Children with insecure attachment are highly irritable, negatively seek attention, act out in mood swings, have anger, and tantrums, are inconsolable when they cry or are sad, and reject and act aloof when the caregiver returns after a period of separation.


Such children may not feel confident to explore life, try new things or even express themselves especially their weakness or places of struggle and might not easily ask for help. They may easily develop unhealthily independence.



Insecure attachment implications in adulthood


As adults this insecure attachment style could present itself especially in close relationships mostly by how they express their relational needs, How they react in moments of normal or longer separation or in moments of conflict and distress and how they react after the moments of separation, when they are connected back to those close to them.


In adulthood, their relational expectations, beliefs, emotions and responses are informed by their earlier attachment style especially in times of distress. They struggle feeling loved and do not easily trust others. They might also develop extreme anxiety especially when alone or when confronting others especially when their relational needs are not met or when anxious of losing their relationship. 


They might also be moody, hyper-sensitive and easily hurt, They might also be clingy and come off as needy and employ negative attention seeking behaviour and may always be fault finding and overly critical. 


Others may avoid closeness and intimacy and act distant and unavailable. They can be fiercely independent and find it difficult communicating their relational needs and therefore suppress and create a facade that everything is okay and later act out in bursts of anger and dissociation and separation,


They might also be impulsive, manipulate, throw blame to others for their actions ,justify their actions and react aggressively to being corrected or even turn abusive and violent.



However all is not lost, we can unlearn our childhood attachment styles and learn new and healthier ways of interacting and connecting with others and how to better parent and care for our children


We seek help and support from others and develop our awareness, identity and, personality, Through this, we can learn better interpersonal skills, be more assertive and establish better ways to communicate our needs. It will also help us be more resilient and adaptable and able to cope with distress and explore life and multiple positive interactions as well as create life experiences and friendships


The most powerful tool for both the parent and child is the Word of God and a personal relationship with Him. 

We can trust in God in all things and at all times, He provides that safe place of unconditional love and acceptance in Christ Jesus and we can launch out from this safe place having been enabled to do and be all that He created us to be.

We should allow God's word to change and influence how we see ourselves and others, our perspectives, our thoughts, our behaviors, and our reactions towards ourselves, others, and life situations. We can know that we are soo loved in Christ and begin to love ourselves wholesomely and become secure and begin to interact, connect and love others.


REFLECTION: 


1. How can the different parental styles influence and affect the attachment styles and what would this look like in the child's adult relationships later in life?


2. Some of the thoughts of a person who has insecure attachment are; I am not understood, I am not loved, I am always rejected, I am always taken advantage of, people always hurt me, people are always unavailable, I don't measure up, I will never succeed, my needs are not being met, my partner is undependable, I am unworthy of love, I feel alone in the relationship


How does the word of God address these thoughts?