Who among us was not a child? Who hasn't wanted to grow up quickly? Who hasn’t been outraged by their parents’ misunderstanding? Who hasn’t proven that he is already big to his dad and mom? Who hasn’t defended their right to a personal opinion? For some reason, when we ourselves become parents, we forget, or partially remember, those moments when, out of powerlessness before the educational methods of our fathers, we did not want to live. Such strong emotions are cumulative and accumulate gradually, suddenly finding a way out in the form of nervous breakdowns and hysterics. Yesterday, let’s say, a stick picked up from the ground was rudely taken away from a child. Today we abruptly interrupted the game with our favorite bear and sat him down at the table. And tomorrow, without allowing me to finish watching the cartoon, I received a protest in the form of a stream of tears, a deafening scream and kicking on the floor (once I even watched, in addition to this, a four-year-old girl spit in her mother’s face). How we would like our children to grow up as full-fledged individuals and be mentally healthy! The conditions for the harmonious mental development of a child are so simple, almost banal: We perceive the child as an equal. We respect the child. We provide freedom. We love unconditionally. If we consider what each point means, it turns out: We perceive the child as an equal. This does not mean at all that a 3-month-old baby is only small in stature as an adult. What I am saying here is that it is advisable to teach a child as a friend, by personal example. And, of course, learn from him yourself. It should not be surprising that you can learn something from a 2-year-old, how much sincerity of feelings, exploratory fervor, perseverance in achieving what you want and many other useful things that are in short supply for many adults. After all, we learn from our friends, we teach them at the same time. But, you must admit, it is difficult to communicate with a friend who does not treat us as equals. And if such communication is constant and necessary, you can earn yourself quite a bit of neurosis. One of the important points here is not to attribute adult qualities to the child. Babies, for example, do not know how to manipulate and do something on purpose, children 1-3 years of age do not know how to lie and intrigue, or invent something. It is important to remember that a child lives with emotions here and now. Our task is to help acquire self-control and cultivate self-awareness. We respect you. Respect, in addition to what we ourselves mean by this concept, I mean feelings and desires. People are not robots, and no one can eat exactly on schedule, go to bed at the same time, etc. Imagine a situation: you are reading a book, someone comes up to you, takes the book, dresses you up and takes you outside for a walk (put you to bed, wash you, start feeding you, put pencils in your hands, whatever). Not very good huh? What about the child? Without me, they got me married... Give me a choice! Here you should know and take into account that very young children cannot make a choice due to their underdeveloped nervous system. They want everything at once and more. Our help will be useful to them, only in a democratic form, with their permission. You can sometimes use the technique of choice without choice (“Are you going to go eat now or when the cartoon ends?”). Freedom. This point is a continuation of the previous one in essence. Plus there is also freedom in activity. The task of parents is to ensure the safety of the surrounding area and teach everyday actions. It is very important to preserve and increase natural curiosity, which subsequently flows into cognitive activity and develops intelligence. The next article will be about love for children (point 4). I am always glad to be useful to you!