The Needs of Children

    Hey everybody! Today we're going to be talking about how parents can fulfill the needs of their children. Or, more specifically, what exactly some of the needs of children are, and how to identify them. None of the needs are the physical ones, such as food, shelter, or clothes. They are, however, just as important! Or, in some instances, even more important. These 5 needs that we'll be discussing are: Attention, Power, Protection, Withdrawal, and Challenges. When we talk about giving children attention, I don't just mean talking to them or spending time with them. It is very important to make sure that we are giving our children physical attention as well, such as hugs, eye contact, and just physical contact in general is important, as we are very social creatures. It has been proven that when children don't get enough attention, including physical touch, they can develop a condition called "failure to thrive" in which the child is very slow to develop cognitive skills, talking and walking, and potentially lower levels of intelligence. When a child is deficient in attention, they may also, develop a case of "undue attention seeking", in which they seek attention from a means that does not fulfill his contact needs, such as purposefully getting in trouble, or even sexual actions. After all, you can never get enough of what you don't need. The second need that children have power. A better way to put this may be that children need to have responsibilities. The best way for children to develop these skills is for parents to provide their children with decisions to make on their own that are appropriate for their age and maturity. The best lessons in this regard will come from making decisions and facing their natural consequences. The only times that you shouldn't do this is: when the consequences are too dangerous; when the consequence is too far int the future to be useful; and when the consequences will cause harm to someone else. When a child is deficient in power, they may show their deficiency by attempting to control others or, rebelling from the rules placed upon them by others.  The third need that children have is protection. This is a trait that parents need to provide as an example to their children. Besides the obvious manners of protection that a parent needs to provide, children also need to learn how to be assertive and stand up for themselves in situations where it is necessary. When a child hasn't been taught how to defend themselves (emotionally, mentally, physically, or each) they may show their deficiency by becoming obsessed with/inclined to seek revenge and to hold grudges for very long times. This leads us to our fourth need which is, providing a withdrawal for children. Parents need to teach children that it is okay to take a break at times. And, importantly, teach them how to work hard, take a break, and then return to work again. When a child has become deficient in the capacity to withdraw and take breaks, this can lead to them avoiding responsibility or people entirely to get the break they are lacking. The 5th and final need children have is the need to face challenges! Human being are creatures wired to create and accomplish goals. Parents must encourage their children to build and develop skills! This ay be done in sports, manual labor, or any other aspect that requires a skill to be developed by the child. If a child isn't getting the challenges or encouragement they need, they may show this deficiency by taking unnecessary risks as a result of their desire to have more accomplishments.