Features

Positive Relationships: Behaviour - Mummy do it!

Do young children consciously reject one parent and cling to the other? Cath Hunter offers advice for talking with families and getting through what may be a difficult phase for them.

Q: Not for the first time, a mother has come to me saying that her child wants her - and not the child's father - to do everything for them, particularly when it comes to bedtime routines. In this instance, the child is a little girl who has just had her second birthday and it is Mum who has to bath her and read the bedtime story. While some parents seem able to cope with this stage in a child's life, it is clear that others feel rejected. Why do children go through this phase, and how can we advise parents?

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