All children are unique and have disparate needs. As a caregiver, it is instrumental to acknowledge this and parent according to your own child. “Parents work as mentors, coaches, and partners with their children, helping them develop in optimal ways” (Keil, 2014, pp. 4). Based on your child’s specific characteristics regarding attachment, emotion, temperament, and personality, recognizing these different aspects can aid in nurturing your child’s development as a guardian.There is no singular right way for one to raise their child. Different methods and strategies are useful when working with your child due to the various styles of attachment or temperament that are present amongst children. Informing caregivers about the distinct styles will ultimately guide them down the right path to efficiently and effectively care for their child. When one is born, nature sets the stage for our attachment style, emotions, and temperament. Attachment is “the strong and enduring emotional bond between a child and a significant other and the processes that create and maintain this long-lasting social relationship.” (Keil, 2014, pp.188) For attachment, nature can make one prone to have either a secure, insecure, ambivalent, or disorganized attachment style which then aligns with one’s temperament. Temperament is “an infant's tendency towards particular emotional and behavioral responses to specific situations” (Keil, 2014, pp. 247). A child’s temperament can range from easy, difficult, slow to warm up, or average. One’s emotional characteristics are built off of their attachment style and temperament. These two components influence how a child expresses their emotions in particular situations, such as crying when in distress or crying when their caregiver is nowhere in their vicinity. Lastly, attachment and temperament coincide to form one’s personality. The combination of the two form the distinctive character we label ourselves as. The genetic predispositions are then shaped through the nurturing process one is a part of throughout their life. The environmental factors that one is influenced by, such as their caregiver, peers, and even culture plays a detrimental role in the everlasting psychological development of the child. Nature and nurture work together in unison to influence a child’s emotional and cognitive growth to ensure the prime potential of their development. Goodness-of-fit can play a large role in the process of nurture; having an environment that fits a child’s specific needs and provides them with adequate nourishment can help them prosper, however, in the absence of such nourishment they may wilt and not be able to reach their full potential (Keli, 2014, pp. 254; Dobbs, 2009). Development is an ongoing process throughout one’s lifespan, but the most fundamental components of development happen in the earlier stages.

Biology doesn’t dictate the term parent; a parent comes in many forms; a caregiver, a guardian, an older sibling, an aunt or an uncle that cares for and provides for a child. Being a parent consists of strategies that conform to the identity of your child, and there is no one correct way that can help you decide the absolute best path for them. “Caring for children is like tending a garden, and being a parent is like being a gardener.” (Gopnik, 2016). Parents perhaps see the most of their child’s social relationships (through actually viewing interactions but also through discussing social interactions with their child), as well as, how their child interacts with themselves. Parents are present to guide how their child forms these relationships.

The reciprocal relationship displayed between the child and parent enables the child to build strong and meaningful relationships throughout their life. Parents have their own unique relationship with their child that requires maintenance and consideration; it is important that parents understand their child’s perspective, as well as their own, but also provide a safe and trustworthy environment that their child feels comfortable in. Being a parent “is not and should not be directed towards the goal of sculpting a child into a particular kind of adult.” (Gopnik, 2016). Instead, parents should focus on providing their child with what they need to thrive, and help them find a path for themselves. Acknowledging the interactions you have with your child and knowing how to determine what may best suit them will hold power throughout their life.

Knowing your child is as important as your child knowing themselves. Throughout one’s development, their identity is being created by external and internal forces that ultimately influence their character. Their relationship with oneself can have monumental effects on their self-esteem and self-efficacy. The initial creation of their self-concept, in being able to process their existence separately from other people or objects, is near the beginning of their development of their interactions with others and themselves. Their self-esteem and their self-efficacy can heavily influence their personal successes and failures later in life. A large factor that plays into a child’s understanding of themself is their gender identity. A child may not struggle with their gender identity at all (e.g. they may identify with the gender and stereotypes/ roles that are associated with their biological sex) or they may not identify or be comfortable with either, causing some difficulty in determining their gender identity.

The various interactions in a child’s life, whether it is with their caretakers or peers stems from what developmental psychologists call theory of mind. Theory of mind is the “ability to think about other people's beliefs and desires and how those beliefs and desires predict and explain behavior…” (Keil, 2014, pp. 468). One’s theory of mind is crucial for mature social interactions. It guides the interaction and allows for flexibility when it comes to a child’s interaction with themselves, caregivers, peers, and the environment.

In everyday life, children and adults experience various circumstances that shape who they are and how they live. How one thinks, acts, and even speaks stems from their interactions with their community, with their job or school, and with their peers or partners. These interactions have a significant impact on how they integrate into society. With the focus on children, many critical influences come from school, the media, and their overall community. Patterns of thinking and doing evolve out of these experiences and shape the traits, ideology, and the lifestyle a child follows. As a caregiver, one must create a stable balance between the external forces that have an impact on your child so they can reach the maximal point in their development.

Community and school cultures affect the developmental process. “Children adapt to the niches in which they grow up, finding ways to fit their talents and natures within the culture around them” (Keil, 2014, pp. 575). Everyone knows the burden of peer pressure; the normalized behaviors and expectations present in a child’s community and school will likely influence a child’s development. Repeated exposure to environments such as schools, where children are constantly having interactions and developing, can cause changes to personality over time (Ilmarinen et al., 2019, pp. 607). Depending on the types of peers they interact with, a child may develop either pro- or anti-social behaviors. Gaining the approval of their peers is important to many; children who do not gain this approval may become withdrawn or aggressive. It is normal for children to follow these expectations and to be wary of deviations in order to maintain or increase their sociometric status. Helping them navigate these social circles (but not instructing them how) and teaching them how to actively think about others will give your child the necessary components they need to independently maneuver within peer groups throughout their life.

Media influences can also play a major role in a child’s developmental process. Children interact with televisions, the internet, video games, and more daily. Children are able to use media for beneficial purposes and effectively allocate new knowledge towards real life situations. A child’s ability to learn from these entities can aid them when they are facing unfamiliar challenges. On the contrary, interactions with media can also be dangerous to a child’s development. It can hinder their cognitive capabilities, weaken their ability to maintain real-world relationships, promote aggression, and create an altered view regarding social comparison. There are many positives that come out of a child’s interaction with media outlets, but there are many negatives as well. So, creating a safe balance between the time spent interacting with the media and not can aid your child throughout their developmental journey.

Supporting youth development is important as well because support allows the child to know they are not on their own through their journey. By implementing different strategies and techniques that conform to a child’s identity, it can boost their confidence when it comes to tackling new challenges. Promoting positive behaviors and positive strategies not only as a parent but also as a community can allow a child to overcome the task they are faced with and enable them to develop in a manner that suits them.