Help Them Warm Up

Bringing a new parent in your child’s life can be nerve-wracking. Nevertheless, you need to hold on to the belief that eventually your kid will befriend your partner only if you don’t push him with unrealistic expectations.

- Prachi S. Vaish

SO YOU’RE starting your life afresh with a new life partner – good for you! But at the same time, the apprehension of whether or not your child will take to your new partner keeps you up at night, doesn’t it? You want your child to love and accept him as you do and that’s only natural. So, here are some easy-to-follow steps to ease your child’s transition into accepting a new parent.

Rely on natural introductions. When you’re sure of the person you want to get married to, find an opportunity to introduce him to your child in a natural no-big-deal kind of a situation. The most preferable kind of setting would be to plan an outing with your kid and have your prospective partner ‘accidentally’ run into both of you so that it looks like a sudden meeting. This is a better approach because if you set up a whole I want-you-to meet someone scenario, it may lead to anxiety and apprehension in your child and he might meet your partner with some preconceptions that may not work in your favour.

Stay cool in the face of strange behaviour. Children are very good at sensing the equation between two people and especially if one of them is their mom or dad. So when you introduce your prospective partner, you can expect some extra possessive or tantrum-like behaviour. Do not react! Keep your anger in check and don’t make your kid feel like she is embarrassing you in front of this ‘special’ person or you’ll end up escalating the unwanted behaviour.