Jonathan Wilson

Watching this little one discover the appearance of a slide and swing set in her backyard is such a joy. But it’s not even the best part of the video. For me it’s all about the opening seconds. As she approaches the back door, an inflatable beach ball blocks her path. She picks it up to relocate it and earnestly begs the ball’s forgiveness: “Excuse me, ball.” 😀 While obviously overextended to an inanimate object, this courteous interaction speaks volumes about our hero’s budding social-emotional competence and the environment her family has created. Did you know that longitudinal research suggests that kindergartners with high levels of social-emotional competence (relationship skills, social awareness, self-management, etc.) are measured as having improved outcomes as adults across a variety of domains (education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health)? How do young children develop courtesy? Empathy? Social skills? They absorb the examples that are modeled by the significant adults in their lives. Never forget the influence you have on your child in your day-to-day interactions. Or as Robert Fulgham noted: “Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” This little one obviously has some terrific role models. This delightful video was posted to IG by christina_pax_.

There is nothing babies love more than faces. And this is doubly true for those of their most significant caregivers. Watch how mesmerized this little one is by her mother - and how carefully she studies the shape and movement of Mom’s face as she serenades her. Turns out, babies have very specific preferences here. Research suggests that newborns prefer looking at faces that are: - socially relevant to them (faces with direct gaze compared to faces with averted gaze), - happy faces compared to neutral facial expressions, - and, even shortly after birth, already strongly favor their mother’s face to that of a stranger. So always look for opportunities to sit face-to-face. There’s nothing your baby would rather look at than YOU. Film miravideo via TT.