Frequently Asked Questions  | Be An Asset Builder | Advice & Tips | Featured |   Early Childhood Ages 0-4 | School Aged Ages 5-12 | Teen Years Ages 13+ |   Parenting Education Opportunities Class Schedule

This Article is From Our May 2010 Advice & Tips:

Be the Adult you would like your child to become

"Children have never been good at listening to their elders,
But they have never failed to imitate them."
–James Baldwin

The family serves as the primary “school” in which our daughters and sons learn about relationships. Parents are the most important teachers and we teach through our actions (behaviors) more than through our words. In families, children learn about relationships by observing their parents.

• Sons learn about being male and being fathers from their fathers (or father figures).
• Daughters learn about being female and mothers from their mothers (or mother figures).
• Sons practice relating to females through interacting with their mothers (or mother figures).
• Daughters practice relating to males through interacting with their fathers (or father figures)
• Both daughters and sons learn about adult male-female relationships by observing how fathers/father-figures and mothers/mother-figures relate and interact. Important social skills are learned through family interactions.


Children learn about relationships from their parents. They learn primarily from our behavior-how we act to them and others.

Role modeling is showing our children, through our behavior, what we want them to learn about relationships. Be the person you want them to become!

What are your children learning from you about relationships?

-From the Marriage and Parenting Program
-Dave Baker, National Consultant

Asset(s) of the Month

1. Family Support

To see the complete list of Assets click here

Asset(s) of the Month

1. Family Support

2. Positive Family Communications

To see the complete list of Assets click here

To See Our Archive Of Past Parenting Advice & Tips Click Here

For more information on current classes being offered or to learn more about stress, please call the Worcester County Health Department – Office of Prevention @ 410-632-0056