Tomorrow in the Parenting talk titled ‘Becoming a Parent,’ an expert will address parents of young children in the UAE on how attachments develop in new-born children and parents, why they are important, and what parents should know about their relationships with their children.

According to Dr. Ross Thompson of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, USA, children don’t just focus on their own perceptions and experience which means they are not egocentric.

The Distinguished Professor – a title only bestowed on members of the faculty who have an extraordinary international recognition and are distinguished as exemplary teachers and scholars – will explain the awareness young children show by “reading” the emotions on their parents face when in an uncertain or unfamiliar situation.

Children are sensitive observers of other people are able to make inferences whether the circumstance is safe or dangerous. For that reason, children develop a social understanding based on their everyday interactions with others and their careful interpretations of what they see and hear. They have an interest in why people do the things they do, and make astonishing advances in understanding the people with whom they interact through their experiences of parental care.

“The talk is tailored for parents and those who work with parents to better understand the elements of parental care that are important to young children and the effects they have on the development of secure attachment relationships, understanding of people, language development, and other aspects of healthy psychological growth,” explains Dr. Thompson.

The information presented to the attendees aims to describe how adults become parents through the development of their relationship with the child over time.

“As this relationship develops, parents provide answers to some of the essential questions that each newborn needs to answer about the world into which the child has been born.  In doing so, parents provide a foundation for how the child’s brain development becomes organized, the growth of personality, and the child’s capacities to interact with other people,” he adds.

Furthering the Foundation’s commitment their Parenting Program, as a part of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiative, special parenting classes have been introduced for parents to be involved in activities and discussions aimed at enhancing parent’s awareness of their children’s and their own experiences.

Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Nahyan, leader and patron of the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development program said, “These classes are based on the Parents First curriculum; a parenting program developed by Yale University, tailored for the families in the UAE that focuses on reflective parenting.”

Hosted by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, in collaboration with Yale University, as a part of its Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program, the parenting talk will be held at the Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on March 23 and in Al Ain Municipality Auditorium on March 24 at 5pm.  Meanwhile, the Children’s workshop activities will run from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in Studio 2 at Manarat Saadiyat. All sessions are free and open to the public. However, it is advised to pre-register by emailing at eduprogram@shf.ae especially if parents wish to drop their kids at the Children’s workshop.

Running successfully for the second year, the Parenting Program is comprised of a series of engaging parenting talks and classes offered by world leaders in Early Childhood Development, designed to support and empower parents and other caregivers of young children and to provide information on best practices that promote healthy outcomes for children.

The final Parenting Talks of this season takes place on 18-19 May 2015 and cover the topic of ‘Children, Parents and the Media: Friend or foe for families in the digital and wireless age’.

For more information about the parenting talks visit:  https://www.shf.ae/en/news-articles/parenting-talks/