A child enjoys the company of people, especially its parents. This is where the child learns its first lesson of socializing. The need for socializing is usually ingrained within the child which gradually develops and matures with age. The extent of need for socialization changes as the child grows in age.
Tracking the developmental milestone:
The initial social butterfly- right after birth, the child’s need of socializing becomes pretty evident. The more it is cuddled, talked to etc. the happier it is. Especially in the 1st month the child craves for company, mainly that of its parents. By the 3rd month, the child will start noticing other people around and may even start connecting with them non-verbally by smiling at them. Later the baby will start to squeal out of joy when seeing its favorite people nearby
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The experimenting one- by the time the baby is 7 months old, it would have learned how to sit unsupported and will be trying to crawl. As a result, during this time the child will be more focused on discovering its own skills and using them on its toys than playing with a play mate. Since child is more mobile now, it prefers to move around on its own, comfortable mostly with its family members.
The anxious one- at one year , most babies suffer from separation anxiety. During this time parents may find that the child is unwilling to leave their sides even for a while. It seems only the parent’s presence can calm them. During this time the child also tends to become very possessive of its toys or other belongings.But this is also the time when the child becomes interested in finding how everything in the world relates to them. They do make friends at this stage. They also learn to exert their independence which may lead to a number of outbursts .
The self centered one- by the time the child reaches the 2-3 years phase, their world revolves around them. During this time most children become a little self-centered. They think only from their point of view and do not really gravitate towards social situations. This phase is a temporary one and children grow out of it.
The complete social being- after the 3rd year, when the child starts attending school, they interact with a number of children of their age and as a result become a lot more social. By watching and mixing with other children,. The child gathers valuable social bonding lessons and out of such playmates they often discover lasting friendships.
Parent’s role:
Parents need to be supportive of their child throughout this development period. Whether it is their phase of anxiety or self-centered, the parents need to understand the child’s feelings. It is also important for the parents to set a good social example as in their early years, children learn the most from parents.If the child shows no enthusiasm towards social bonding even till 1 year age or if they become overly aggressive in their daily behavior, then such cases should be consulted with the doctor.
