Little Kids Need A Lot....Of Grown-ups.
I'm sure everybody can remember a grown-up or grown-ups that played a role in helping them, teaching them, or guiding them through childhood. Teachers, doctors, Sunday school teachers, ministers, librarians, nurses, babysitters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and of course, parents just to name a few. It seems to me that little kids had a lot of grown-ups involved in their lives back in the day. I know that I did and I feel very fortunate to have had them.
So what exactly do little kids need from the grown-ups in their lives?
In a nutshell, warm, nurturing, supportive relationships with significant adults is essential for optimal brain growth and development. Learning, both cognitive and emotional, can not take place until children feel physically and psychologically safe.
By their very nature, little kids are not too knowledgeable about the world around them and they appear to have no visible means of support. For those reasons, they need adults to provide nutritious food, a place to live, clothing, health care, restful sleep, exercise and vigorous play, and warmth and love.
An article featured on an Australian parenting website, Raising Children, listed the following reasons for developing healthy relationships between adults and children:
- Relationships shape the way children see the world. This is to say that children imitate the words and behaviors of their important role models.
- Their most important relationships are with parents, other family members and care givers.
- Children learn how to think, understand, communicate, behave, show emotions, and develop social skills through relationships with grown-ups.
It has even been said that a child has the best ability to become a healthy adult if the entire community takes an active role in contributing to the rearing of the child. ( It Takes A Village, African proverb).
My daughters grew up, as did countless others, watching a soft spoken, cardigan wearing man by the name of Mr. Rogers. It has been stated that this man, through his television show, had a powerful impact on children. His program was highly educational and yet stressed the emotional side of life. The mission of the show clearly was to help children learn to deal with their feelings. Early on the morning that his death was announced, my phone rang. When I answered, a tiny voice said, "Mom, Mr. Rogers died. What are we going to do?" It was my oldest daughter on her way to work. She was thirty-three years old at the time, clearly past the age of watching Mr. Rogers, but still obviously feeling the impact he had on her life.
I recently attended the funeral service for my childhood dentist. He was not only our family dentist but a family friend as well. He and his wife were members of my parents Sunday school class and I would see him every Sunday as his kids, my brother, sister, myself, and lots of other kids, went to meet our parents for church service.
He was also the founding father of the church little league baseball program for our town. I spent many, many summer days and nights at the ball parks with my dad and brother and he was always there as well. I even was afforded the opportunity to become the first ever female "bat boy" for a team. I would have preferred to play the game, but girls were not allowed to join teams back then. Now, of course, girls and boys can play on the same team. I can't help but wonder if I somehow helped put a little "crack" in the glass ceiling of little league. That would be really cool!
As the service was ready to begin, my dad turned to me and asked, "Do you remember when Santa Claus came to our house?" Of course, I remembered. That is not something one easily forgets. Even during the Christmas season, no one really expects to answer the door and be greeted by a jolly man wearing a red suit and shouting ho ho ho. I was probably six or seven and a firm believer. I still remember the excitement and awe of that night to this day!
When I answered my dad that of course I remembered that event, he said, "It was really Dr. Skokos. I just thought you would like to know."
Add that to the other ways he was involved in my childhood and one could say, that's a grown-up that made an impact!
That's it for now.
Check back later!
So what exactly do little kids need from the grown-ups in their lives?
In a nutshell, warm, nurturing, supportive relationships with significant adults is essential for optimal brain growth and development. Learning, both cognitive and emotional, can not take place until children feel physically and psychologically safe.
By their very nature, little kids are not too knowledgeable about the world around them and they appear to have no visible means of support. For those reasons, they need adults to provide nutritious food, a place to live, clothing, health care, restful sleep, exercise and vigorous play, and warmth and love.
An article featured on an Australian parenting website, Raising Children, listed the following reasons for developing healthy relationships between adults and children:
- Relationships shape the way children see the world. This is to say that children imitate the words and behaviors of their important role models.
- Their most important relationships are with parents, other family members and care givers.
- Children learn how to think, understand, communicate, behave, show emotions, and develop social skills through relationships with grown-ups.
It has even been said that a child has the best ability to become a healthy adult if the entire community takes an active role in contributing to the rearing of the child. ( It Takes A Village, African proverb).
My daughters grew up, as did countless others, watching a soft spoken, cardigan wearing man by the name of Mr. Rogers. It has been stated that this man, through his television show, had a powerful impact on children. His program was highly educational and yet stressed the emotional side of life. The mission of the show clearly was to help children learn to deal with their feelings. Early on the morning that his death was announced, my phone rang. When I answered, a tiny voice said, "Mom, Mr. Rogers died. What are we going to do?" It was my oldest daughter on her way to work. She was thirty-three years old at the time, clearly past the age of watching Mr. Rogers, but still obviously feeling the impact he had on her life.
I recently attended the funeral service for my childhood dentist. He was not only our family dentist but a family friend as well. He and his wife were members of my parents Sunday school class and I would see him every Sunday as his kids, my brother, sister, myself, and lots of other kids, went to meet our parents for church service.
He was also the founding father of the church little league baseball program for our town. I spent many, many summer days and nights at the ball parks with my dad and brother and he was always there as well. I even was afforded the opportunity to become the first ever female "bat boy" for a team. I would have preferred to play the game, but girls were not allowed to join teams back then. Now, of course, girls and boys can play on the same team. I can't help but wonder if I somehow helped put a little "crack" in the glass ceiling of little league. That would be really cool!
As the service was ready to begin, my dad turned to me and asked, "Do you remember when Santa Claus came to our house?" Of course, I remembered. That is not something one easily forgets. Even during the Christmas season, no one really expects to answer the door and be greeted by a jolly man wearing a red suit and shouting ho ho ho. I was probably six or seven and a firm believer. I still remember the excitement and awe of that night to this day!
When I answered my dad that of course I remembered that event, he said, "It was really Dr. Skokos. I just thought you would like to know."
Add that to the other ways he was involved in my childhood and one could say, that's a grown-up that made an impact!
That's it for now.
Check back later!
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