Mental well-being is crucial for a child’s growth. Our “Heart to Heart” programme (“the programme”) is dedicated to promoting positive parenting and creating a non-violent environment for children to grow. While physical and behavioral violence needs to be addressed early on, verbal violence, which is often overlooked, can be just as damaging as physical violence.
Winky, a full-time mother, initially struggled to understand her daughter’s needs, which sometimes affected her own emotions. Through participating in the “Heart to Heart” programme, she mastered the art of reading her child’s emotional cues, applying positive parenting skills in their daily life. This enabled her to enter her 5-and-a-half-year-old daughter’s world, fostering effective communication and strengthening their parent-child bond.
【Breaking the Iceberg: A Journey to Understanding Daughter’s Needs】
Winky devoted all her attention to her daughter, but she still failed to grasp daughter’s needs sometimes. She was overwhelmed and unable to effectively handle her daughter’s emotional outbursts. Luckily, in the “Positive Parenting, Loving Family” parent support group under the programme, Winky learned to reveal and understand her daughter’s thoughts.
“My daughter loves swimming. One day she suddenly seemed unhappy and didn’t want to go swimming anymore. I don‘t know the actual reason behind it, and that was just like an unbreakable iceberg. After communicating, I realized that she didn’t dislike swimming, but struggled with some learning skills. So I suggested her consult teacher and practice more. She agreed, and felt relieved and became happy again.” Winky recalled a successful communication experience with her kid.
The ages from 0 to 6 are crucial for a child’s development. While children constantly learn and develop their potential, it is equally important for parents to learn how to interact with and help their children express themselves. Save the Children Hong Kong promotes the positive parenting programme called “Heart to Heart“, which aims to promote non-violent communication between parents and children, equip parents with positive parenting practices such as “giraffe language”, and enhance children’s problem-solving skills.
【Discovering the Power of Companionship: From Cold Violence to Effective Parenting】
Winky often overlooked her daughter’s calls for attention. With the understanding of “cold violence” in the programme, she now actively accompanies her daughter and actively responds to her needs. Winky would only rate herself a 6 or 7 as a mother in the past. However, after participating in the 8-sessions programme and implementing parenting methods in daily communication, she now rates herself an 8 or 9, showing significant progress.
“Besides learning how to communicate with children, the most significant takeaway for me is becoming more patient. At the same time, I can express myself appropriately, allowing children to understand that everyone is unique, and every family member is equally important. I can also have my own emotions, including tiredness or disappointment .”
Learning emotion management and positive communication skills is beneficial to parent-child relationship. Winky is grateful that the “Positive Parenting, Loving Family” support group becomes her safe space, providing a positive outlet for her emotions and allowing her to be a role model for her daughter.
Your support for our local children programmes not only enables children to grow up in a caring family environment but also provides preventive education on child abuse, ensuring a brighter future for local children.
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