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How To Keep My Umbilical Cord Intact With My Child?

Amidst changing cultural values, lifestyle, language and people, unchanged are the parent–child relationship. In fact psychologists reveal that the parent – child relationship is a blueprint for all the relationships that a person builds during his lifetime

Healthy attachment between parent and child is a critical component in the development of brain functioning. In a healthy cycle of development, new-borns develop a positive understanding of the world – a belief that they are worthy and adults can be trusted to care for them – through their expression of needs. When the baby cries to express a need, the parent responds to that need, and the baby is satisfied. This cycle is the foundation of trust. If this pattern, however, fails or never materializes, the child’s development could be negatively impacted.

Research has shown that children who have formed a close bond with their mothers are sociable and gregarious. Those children lacking a secure bond are more likely to be antisocial, withdrawn, hostile and aggressive.

Children who have a deep bonding with their mothers/parents become very independent at a young age. This bond also boosts their self-esteem. These children are also more successful in school. Bonding creates within the child a sense of confidence and a positive attitude. This influences future relationships and achievement.

Bonding develops through interaction. Breastfeeding, reading to the child or any activity where the mother spends one-on-one quality time with the child turns into a bonding experience. Horseplay, heart-to-heart talks and just listening intently to what a child has to say can create a strong bond that will last forever.

Research has found that society needs to find ways to ensure that mothers can stay at home with their children. This usually, though not always, ensures high quality care and a firm bonding process.

Trends of today however make it almost impossible for mothers to stay at home and care for their children. An increasing number of women are pursuing independent careers today; this leaves them with less time and energy for the kids and family. Also as the nuclear family system becomes more and more prevalent, the role of the primary care giver is being taken up by day care providers rather than mothers or grandparents.

In this scenario, new and creative ways of promoting quality interaction between the mother and child have to be devised

Activities that can promote both learning and bonding are likely to be more effective.

One such activity can be gardening.

• It allows parents to spend some quality time with their children
• Planting a small patch outside one’s house together can indeed be an enriching experience.
• Also, time is spent constructively in doing some fruitful work rather than useless activities like watching television.
• Gardening is also a great way to teach environmental awareness by exploring the workings of nature.
• The physical activity involved in gardening boosts a child’s fitness levels.
• Building garden tools together can become a great parenting activity.

Children are natural gardeners. They're curious, like to learn by doing, and love to play in the dirt.                                                                                           

• Gardening satisfies children’s curiosity levels.
• Gardening becomes a great way to stimulate a child’s overall development.
• Gardening promotes motor skills to emotional bonding; gardening can become a huge learning opportunity.

Children delight in the unexpected and a garden can be full of new and surprising experiences. Brightly-coloured flowers and fruits can also become interesting teaching aids for learning colours shape and numbers.

Sharing such out-of -book learning experience deepens the bond between the mother and child since the child begins to see the mother as a partner in his explorations and adventures.

Working in a garden, a mother and child can experience the satisfaction that comes from caring for something over time together. This goes a long way in instilling the values of patience and perseverance in a child. There can be nothing better to see a plant grow together with your child.

Thus, bonding with the child, especially in his/her formative years lays the groundwork for all their future relationships and general outlook towards life.