Woman reveals important parenting tip shared by her psychologist mom on children's unspoken needs

Communication with a child is a parent’s core responsibility in understanding their needs and nature. While this communication can be direct in terms of children and parents voicing their needs, feelings and so on, much of it also happens indirectly. Michelle - who goes on Instagram by michellejones.g - posted a video suggesting that these indirect gestures or attempts of communication are crucial and need to be noticed by parents. The mom often posts advice on embracing motherhood, life and all the tiny details that make this journey special.

In her video, she shared how her psychologist mom revealed one of the ways to identify a child’s communication and needs regarding a particular gesture. Capturing herself with her son on a trampoline, Michelle filled the screen with text. It read, “My mom is a psychologist and she sent me a post.” The following text overlay read, “A child will never tell you, ‘I feel bad emotionally.’” She then revealed that instead, the child might show random gestures by “following you around” or communicating indirectly by saying, “Will you play with me?” hinting towards the need for their parent’s love and affection.

It is a known fact that child psychology is more fragile compared to adults. While children can not voice what they need in their earlier years, it is the parent’s job to identify and look beyond their actions and behavior, which may be a result of a certain situation. Elaborating further, Michelle shared in her caption, “I was getting it wrong all along. Maybe you needed to see this too. Maybe you know someone that needs to see this.” She then highlighted how several parents are stuck up on the idea of teaching their kids to be independent and end up “treating them like mini-adults.” “They are not mini-adults. Not when they are 3, 7, or 11. They are children,” the mom said.

She explained further with the help of common child behaviors that parents pass off as “normal.” Michelle said, “Looking for love and acceptance and sometimes that might look like them wanting to be with you all the time. Being ‘clingy,’ throwing tantrums because they want to be understood, screaming because they know nothing else other than scream to express their emotions.” Michelle further shed light on the need to hold and show affection to children. The caption continued to read, “We are here to be with them.”

“To hold them when they need to be held and just understand that they are children in a world where they are learning and we are here to teach them.” She concluded her post by clarifying that children may often want to follow you around because they feel safe with you. Michelle’s video received hundreds of thousands of likes and fellow mums really needed the advice. @lxcynk said, “This changed the way I felt about my son pulling on my leg when I’m trying to make dinner.” @dannera_tatyanna revealed that even as an adult she looks for her parents’ love and affection. She said, “Still at 28… I never tell my parents I feel bad. I just walk up and hug them or stand in silence just to be around them.”