Last updated: March 2024

Strong family and social relationships can make your child feel loved and secure.  Building trust with your child can encourage them to share parts of their lives with you. Recognizing their unique abilities and behaviour is also helpful. In this section, learn more about what children need to learn and grow.

Family relationships aren’t always perfect. Sometimes they are complicated and messy. Building a foundation of trust and good communication can go a long way to ensuring a positive dynamic. Learn more:

• Building Good Family Relationships
• Encouraging Good Behaviour
• Family Life Cycle              
• Family Meetings              
• Family Routines Children
• Handling Sibling Conflict
• Sibling Rivalry: Reducing Conflict and Jealousy

Taking the time to listen to your child and nurture them can make family relationships more enjoyable. Learn more about helping your child through effective parenting:

• Active Listening
• Appreciating Your Child's Personality
• Corporal Punishment    
• Effective Parenting: Discipline   
• Growth and Development: Helping Your Child Build Self-Esteem              
• Helping Kids Handle Peer Pressure         
• Helping Your Child Build a Healthy Body Image  
• Helping Your Child Build Inner Strength 
• Practicing Good Listening With Kids
• Recognizing and Developing Your Children's Special Talents        
• Talking With Your Child About Sex

Children can develop mental health conditions, just like adults. These conditions can manifest in different ways. If you think that your child is showing symptoms of a mental health condition, speak to your healthcare professional. Learn more about mental health conditions and illness:

• ADHD: Taking Care of Yourself When Your Child Has ADHD          
• Aggression in Youth       
• Comparing Symptoms of Normal Moodiness With Depression in Children
• Conditions With Symptoms Similar to Depression in Children and Teens
• Family Therapy for Depression in Children
• Helping Your Child Who Is Overweight
• Symptoms of Depression in Children     
• Taking Care of Yourself When You Have a Child With Physical, Emotional, or Behavioural Problems           
• Taking Care of Yourself When Your Child Is Sick 
• Violent Behaviour in Children and Teens              
• Warning Signs of Suicide in Children and Teens

It is important to recognize stress in children and teenagers and help them with healthy coping strategies. Learn more:

• Stress in Children and Teenagers             
• Stress Management: Helping Your Child With Stress

The death of a loved one can be a painful experience for children. How you help your child understand and cope with grief depends on their age and emotional development.  Learn more about grief and children:

• Grief: Helping Children Understand  
• Grief: Helping Children With Grief           
• Grief: Helping Teens With Grief

Discussing alcohol and substance use with your children can help them understand the risks that accompany them. Learn more about explaining alcohol to your child:

• Explaining Alcohol to Your Kids
• Helping Your Child Avoid Tobacco, Drugs, and Alcohol    
• Setting a Good Example for Your Kids
• Substance Use Problems: How to Help Your Teen