Q: My 3 years old daughter has never addressed my husband and me as father and mother. She doesn’t speak much and repeats the sentences we speak to her. I am 38 years old and was working until I got pregnant but I quit my job to take care of her. Now I am depressed and due to frustration I have even hit her for not calling me mother. What should I do? Please advise.

A:Children are different from each other in the pace of development. Your child will learn to speak when she has the company of other children in a play school situation. You should not get so frustrated because she does not call you mother (Mummy, Maa or Amma).

It seems as if you miss your working life and expect a perfect child because of the sacrifice you have made in giving up your job.

Some children are shy or slow to speak. Most of them learn better from other children than from adults. When her circle of playmates increases she will become more communicative. If at that time, you feel she has some delay in speech, you could consult a psychologist in a face-to-face setting.

Treat the child as a person, unique and lovable. Help her to play with household objects, read to her and sing for her and with her. Enjoy your parenting, rather than treating it as a "responsibility".