I am a parent of a 3 year old son. His birth history was normal and milestones such as walking and speaking were achieved normally.
Since birth we have observed that our child is kinesthetic and his need for touch is higher so we try to provide him with different sensory experiences. This helps him to stay calm and reduces his irritability.
We have strictly followed a ‘no gadget’ environment at home. Television is always off when he is at home and the mobile is avoided by the elders unless and until it is necessary and the need is explained to the child. Our child doesn’t like anyone holding phones in their hands and not paying attention to him. Because of this any one adult has to engage the child most of the time in some form of pretend play or other activities. Pretend play mostly involves historical stories and stories about real life characters. It has helped him improve his command over his mother tongue quite early and he tries to speak in English and Hindi as well.
Our child is appreciated most of the time for acceptable behaviours. He has developed many good habits such as placing his footwear on the shoe rack, keeping the dishes in the sink after eating and tidying up his toys. He is usually a happy child and gets cranky only when hungry. Counting 1-10 helps him understand the time limit for any task and he responds to it well. He was introduced to books when he was 7 months old. Now he is used to listening to stories at bedtime or when he is low in energy and likes to sit still.
We often face the challenge of getting him adjusted to any new environment and new people. He takes time to interact with strangers but once he is acquainted he just keeps going on and on…
Till now the parenting experience has been a beautiful learning journey with some challenges leading to our growth more as human beings than as parents.