So, how can you bring more affection into your family’s day?
1. As soon as you bring your baby home from the hospital, be sure to hold it, touch it and rock it in your arms.
Spend a lot of precious time caressing your baby so you can touch your skin
2. As you get older, be upbeat.
Do fun activities like dancing together or creating stupid games like pretending to be hugging or kissing monster.
3. Set a reminder to make sure that caresses are part of your everyday life.
In the recent movie Trolls, trolls wore watches with alarm clocks that sounded every hour for a hug. If that’s what it takes, then go on alert. Or make sure to kiss your children at certain times of the day, for example before leaving for school, when they come home from school and before going to bed…
4. Use affection while disciplining your child.
When you tell them what they did wrong, put your hand on their shoulder and hug them at the end of the conversation to assure them that even if you’re not happy with their behavior, you like them always.
If your children are hitting their sister or brother, hug them and explain to them how they feel better than hitting.
Finally, be careful not to overdo it and not smother your children. Respect their individual level of comfort and be aware that this will change over the course of the steps
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