You're child is the greatest gift you will ever receive. From the moment you first hold this miracle of life in your arms, your world will be broader and richer. You will experience a flood of feelings, some of wonder and joy and others of confusion and of being overwhelmed and wondering if you can ever measure up to the needs of your new baby. These are feelings you could barely imagine before - feelings that no one can truly experience without having a child.

Even describing them is difficult because the bond between parent and child is so intensely personal. Why do tears come to your eyes the first time your baby smiles or reaches for you? Why are you so proud of his/her first words? Why does your heart suddenly start to pound the first time you watch him/her stumble and fall? The answer lies in the unique two-way giving relationship between you and your child.

Your Child's Gifts To You
Unqualified love - From birth, you are the center of your child's universe. His love is given to you without question or demand. The ways in which this love is shown is countless. It can derive from showering you with his first smiles to giving you his handmade cards and drawings. His love is filled with admiration, affection, loyalty, and an intese desire to please you.
Absolute trust - Your child believes in you. In her eyes, you are strong, capable, powerful and wise. Over time she will demonstrate this trust by relaxing when she knows you are near, coming to you with problems, and proudly pointing you out to others. She will also lean on your for protection and attempt new skills that she wouldn't dare alone. She trusts you to keep her safe.
The thrill of discovery - Having a child gives you, the parent, a unique chance to rediscover the pleasure and excitement of childhood. Although you can't relive your childhood, you can share in your child's delight as they explore the world. Discovering things together will add to your experience and confidence as a parent and will better prepare you for new challenges.
The heights of emotion - Through your child, you will experience new heights of joy, love, pride, and excitement. You probably will even experience anxiety, anger, and frustration. There are even bound to be times in which you feel you cannot communicate into words, such as those when you hold your baby close and feel her loving arms around your neck.


The Gifts You Give Your Child
Unconditional Love - Love lies at the core of your relationship with your child. Your love for your child is constant and indisputable, and it's up to you to convey that, especially during times in which he's misbehaving and needs limits set. The more secure she feels in your love, the more self-assurance she will have as she grows up.
Self-esteem - One of the most imporant gifts as a parent is to help your child develop self-esteem. Since this is not a quick process, your child needs your steady support and encouragement to discover his strenghts. He needs you to believe in him as he learns to believe in himself. If he is confident in your love, admiration, and respect, it will be easier for him to develop the solid self-esteem he needs to grow up happy and emotionally healthy.
Values and traditions - Regardless if you actively try to pass on your values and beliefs to your child, she is bound to absorb some of them just by living with you.  If your beliefs are well reasoned and if you are true to them, she will probably adopt many of them, without you having to force them onto her. While the choices of values and principles aer ultimately hers to make, she depends on you to give her the foundation through your thoughts, shared ideas, and most of all, your actions and deeds.
Joy in life - The more joyful you are, particularly when you are with him, the more delightful life will seem to him and the more eagerly he will embrace it. When he hears music, he will dance. When the sun shines, he'll turn his face skyward. When he feels happy, he will laugh. Always nurture your child's joy.
Good health - Your child's health depends significantly on the care and guidance you offer her during the early years. You begin during pregnancy, by taking good care of yourself and in turn, on to her. You will help protect and strengthen her body by taking her for doctor checkups, providing a nutritious diet, keeping her safe from accidents, and encouraging exercise throughout childhood. You too should demonstrate good heath to ensure that you are giving your child a healthy example to follow as she grows up.
Secure surroundings - You naturally want to give your child a safe, comfortable home, but this means much more than just a warm place to sleep and a collection of toys. As important as it is to provide shelter that is physically safe and secure, it is even more important to create a home that is emotionally secure with a minimum of stress and a maximum of consistency and love. Any and all conflicts that occure in the home should be dealth with directly and resolved as quickly as possible through cooperation of ALL family members. The family's dealing effectively with conflicts will ultimately help him feel secure in his ability to manage conflicts and disagreements and will provide him with a positive example for resolving his own challenges in life.
Skills and abilities - As your child grows up, she'll spend most of her time developing and polishing a variety of skills and abilities in all areas of her life. You should help her as much as possible by encouraging her and providing the equipment and instruction she needs. Your child will learn best when she feels secure, confident, and loved. She will learn best when information is presented through play - the language of children.


Source: Steven P. Shelov, M.D., F.A.A.P.