Educator Virginia Varga offers these parenting tips:

• Model the behavior you expect from your child. Children will do what you do more often that what you tell them to do.

• Support your child’s desire to participate in doing things for herself. Growth in becoming independent is necessary for normal development.

• Give your child some individual attention daily. It’s the quality rather than the length of time which is important.

• Demonstrate your love and acceptance of your children by letting them help with chores. Children can wash and dry dishes, clean vegetables and set the table by the time they are 2 1/2.

• Give your child appropriate choices. Would you like chicken soup or tomato? Would you like to wear the blue shirt of the red one? Making choices develops the ability to think and make decisions.

• Be consistent in your expectations and responses. A few consistent rules help build a secure and trusting relationship.

• Show your child how you do things, how you think and what you believe. Think out loud so a child has examples of problem solving.

• Play with and read to your child daily.

• Protect your child from experiencing violence. Yelling at and hitting children demonstrates that this is the way to solve problems. Don’t let young children watch violence on television (this includes many cartoons).

• Children learn not from words but from experience. A child who is honestly loved will become a loving person.