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It is important for parents to foster good social and emotional development in their children.

Erikson states that children go through major stages of social and emotional development. The first stage is trust vs. mistrust from birth to age 18 months. Babies learn to develop trust if they feel secure and their needs are being met consistently. They learn to develop mistrust if they do not feel secure and their needs are not consistently met.

The second stage of development is autonomy vs. shame/doubt this stage takes place from age 18 months to 3 years of age. This is the age of toddlers who are learning to use their physical skills and gain independence. They may experience shame or doubt at this age but, can be prevented by having a loving, warm, supportive caregiver who encourages and helps the child to thrive.

The third stage is initiative vs. guilt and takes place from 3-5 years of age. Children can use their imagination, plan activities, come up with games and engage in games with others. A sense of purpose is developed in children at this age.

The fourth stage that children go through is industry vs. inferiority and takes place at ages 6-11 years of age. This where children learn the 3 Rs. They learn reading, writing and arithmetic. Focus for children at this age is their ability to do these tasks and comparison with peers.

The fifth stage is identity vs. role confusion which takes place at 12-18 years old. This is the teen years where exploration of identity, beliefs and values takes place. The goal in this stage is to develop a personal identity.

Parents can help to foster development at each of these stages by providing a warm, loving and supportive environment for children to learn. If mistakes are made along the way in learning teaching a child to get back up and try again is important. Congratulating a child when they perform a task that is well done helps to foster positive self-esteem and a feeling, they can master other things. Providing experiences that foster positive growth for children at each stage is important. Being consistent with your parenting so children know they can always depend on you to be there. Providing toys and learning activities that foster social emotional development. In addition, providing children with others to play with who have similar values fosters good social, emotional development.

Go and spend time with your children nurturing them at each stage of development and offering them the opportunity to grow. You will never get this time back with your children and early development will shape later relationships.