Most Important Period of Life

The care that infants, toddlers and twos receive and their experiences during the first 3 years of life have a powerful influence on how they view the world, how they relate to others, and their ability to succeed as learners. As a child minder, I have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of very young children and their families.

Infants, toddlers, and 2 years olds are in the most vulnerable and important period of life. Initially, they are totally dependent on adults to meet their every need. If the care and experiences they have are nurturing, consistent, and loving, children flourish. 

Almost everyday, I can see exciting changes as children learn to trust me, joyfully explore the environment I have created, make discoveries, care about others, and begin to see themselves as competent learners. Infants, toddlers, and twos who receive high-quality care are more likely to become sociable, capable preschoolers who get along with others, demonstrate self-control, and love learning.

Caring for children under age 3 is too important to leave to chance. I have learnt to be intentional about what I do each day in my work with children and families................. you should too.

It's All Coming Back

So I have been silent for a while, focusing on renovating and setting up the daycare...now its all done and the kids have started trooping in (slowly but surely).

Sitting in my office, I smile with so much warmth in my heart as I hear the sounds of children laughing, singing in baby lingual, and yep the occasional cries...nursery rhymes and almighty Barney blaring from the plasma.  

I love it when a parent leaves his/her child in my care and I am able to bring so much fun and laughter to their world...so much so that when it's time to go home, the child wouldn't want to leave. There is nothing more rewarding than that (for me)

It has begun!!!!!!

Married Couples: Separate But Awesome or Together And Wholesome

Some married couples live in separate houses, some on the same property while some in different cities.
Some say to them it makes complete sense: “if you've got some money, and you can afford it, why not have your own space?” But some actually don't have much money, the husband may even be currently out of work, and the home shared is a trailer. Each, however, make a personal space. For the husband, that would be a "man-cave" — a shed with a TV, cooking supplies, and what not. And for the wife, it's a cottage that looks like a grownup dollhouse, complete with "flower plants in a window box and lace curtains." Gender stereotypes aside, these do seem like a pair who could use separate spheres.

A friend of mine knows a couple who live in separate countries for reasons of work and personal preference, visit each other frequently, and are by all accounts happy. This brings me to ask, who do the children (if they have any) stay with and what kind of upbringing are they getting…most times the kids are with the mum, so how do they get to really know their dad?

I have had first hand experience of being apart from my husband, living in different states. Yes there is this rush and renewed desire when we eventually see each other, full of excitement and need for each other. But after a couple of days, that feeling wears off and it’s back to the normal state of things.

From all this I have come to a point whereby, as much as the feeling is great seeing each other after being apart every now and then, I would rather be living with my husband in the same state, same house. There is this comfort, security, wholeness, totality that comes with knowing your man is right there. I believe it makes for good communication and better understanding of each other. It furthermore creates a better environment for children because whether we like it or not the parents are role models for their children. So from seeing the love the parents have for each other being displayed in the home on the daily, they learn to love each other and also show love and kindness to others.

Obviously, for many a shared living space is a financial or child-rearing necessity. And for others, the benefits of togetherness outweigh the annoyances of compromise. So as a suggestion for those who feel they need that desired space, a living situation where each person can retreat to a private space whenever necessary, to get a little privacy or recharge the flame of love with a tiny bit of scarcity all within the same house sounds pretty cool.

Secret to a Happy Home

As a newly wed, I tend to examine so many couples and watch how they run their homes and the different philosophies used in building the relationship with each other. Some couples I know have set certain rules based on the norm that each partner has his or her role to play in the home and as long as these rules are followed and both parties play their roles, there is bound to be a happy home. But what I feel this leads to is just a stereotype home where there is little room for flexibility, the little perks that make marriage fun. In other words, a BORING HOME!!! Does not assure a happy home.

In a stereotype home, parents can rightfully demand honor and obedience from children, but they must be worthy of such honor. Many things might be excused to preserve the peace of a home; but once a husband starts ordering his wife and children around as slaves, it will not be a happy home. When there is abuse and cruelty; an offending spouse is stripped of authority by the One who is the source for all authority. The secret to a happy home is to embrace a sacrificial love. If this is to be realized in marriage, then it must be mutual. The husband pours his hopes and dreams and life into his wife. And for the wife, she pours all her longings and love into her husband. When there is this mutual self-donation, a couple may always be filled and whole. Indeed, their love may bear the wonderful and mysterious gift of children whereby God makes them co-creators with himself. When one gives and the other only takes, the one finds him or herself empty and the other caged in selfishness. Such a mentality is at the root of cold marriages and adultery, resulting in unhappy homes.

Once we all learn to imbibe the culture of embracing a sacrificial love in our respective homes, I believe we will all be on the right path to attaining true inner peace, creating a solid foundation for raising our children in a healthy and loving environment.

...love within!!!

       

Family as a Foundation

I have come to realise that there is no way I can talk about kids without referring to the family unit. The family as a whole plays a major role in the upbringing of children, from the relationship between parents to the relationship between the parents and children. As the saying goes, charity begins at home; a happy home makes for a happy child because the child grows up in a warm loving environment. Needless to say, a hostile environment breeds a troubled child.

So I shall begin my journey through the ups and downs of family life and how it affects the social and emotional development of children. Let us remember that we all have our part to play in raising beautiful children who will eventually grow up to become wonderful parents as well.

Stay True to Yourself

I  am kind of passionate about this topic becos its something I always pondered on right from when I was a teenager. Do I conform to the pressures from peers/society just to fit into a certain stereotype or do I be myself. Do I buy expensive clothes and accessories I truly cant afford just to gain “popularity”. Do I do all I can to look like a photo-shopped, size zero super model I see regularly on the covers of cosmopolitan just to find my “Prince Charming”. Do I have to live a farce for a life just to be accepted into a certain “class”, basically and generally what I’d call “faking the funk” or do I just let my true personality shine through and be accepted by whoever deems me worthy…

I can say that am fortunate I didn’t have to “fake the funk” becos in growing older, getting more mature and having a better understanding of the word of God and His ways, I have come to realise that there is so much more to life than all these things. In saying this, we must remember that there are basic attributes a lady must have; looking good and decent, well mannered and cultured, smelling great and well groomed.

Am 31 going on 32, this is me not all photo-shopped like a super model, nothing close to a size zero and yet I am married to MY “Prince Charming”. I didn’t buy clothes I couldn’t afford and yet I can say I am known by quite a number of people, atleast a number I can manage, and I live a genuinely simple life and still believe I belong to the class of people that God has chosen for me, of  which I must say is a great class.

I may not be living my billion dollar dream life just yet but I am on the right path to living the dream and I didn’t have to change ME to be on this path.

This is a message to the kids (teenagers) out there, girls and boys who are torn between conforming to the pressures from peers/society and portraying their true identity. Its so much easier to be yourself than to be someone else and end up spending the rest of your life trying to remain that person whom you are not.

STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF!!!!!

All Dressed Up!!!

I cant help but adore well dressed children from babies to teenagers (that is teenagers who don’t think they are adults)…it totally puts me in a state of awe when you see a 1yr old boy dressed in a complete suit, or a 6mths old girl dressed as a ballerina.

A friend of mine’s nephew was told at daycare to pick a costume out of a bunch, he happened to pick out a fairy outfit. Hahahaha, oh did he look adorably cute.

Lets look at some pictures of beautiful kids with bright smiles enough to uplift your day…

I just want to appreciate mummies and daddies who take the time to dress up their kids and make them look like the most beautiful adorable angels ever…

Cartoons of Today

So I sit here watching the cartoon network and I keep wondering what happened between the 90’s and today. The cartoons I am seeing half the time (am not referring to the educative ones mostly shown on cbeebies and the likes) I can’t make head or tail from them, I can’t get any form of moral for kids. The fearful thing about this is the kids have no idea.

This is not to say that there aren’t some great ones being aired. They may not necessarily be educative but they actually make sense and are more pleasant to the eyes. But in general, the new cartoons are so rubbish. If it’s not a boy changing to all sorts of ugly creatures it’s a bunch of aliens always at war in one galaxy or the other, or a cow and chicken being brother and sister and children to human parents who don’t have upper bodies but still find a way to talk and function as normal. I mean tell me what cartoons like these really do for the kids. They are not funny, not pleasant to the eyes, completely daft and senseless and generally poor programmes placed on air for the kids to be entertained with.

I just wish the people who actually choose to make cartoons for the sake of entertaining our lovely children will truly put them into consideration when creating these toons. They should use more of their hearts than their heads.

Children are very impressionable; we need to play our parts in putting appropriate stuff out there that will help stimulate and develop their social and motor skills positively.

Right Age to Begin Formal Education

I keep asking myself when the right time for children to start schooling is. When I say schooling I mean foundation learning from counting 1-20, reciting the alphabets flawlessly, knowing and identifying colours and lots more. Put simply, Formal Education.

Many parents feel early enrollment in school is a good first step for a child’s’ academic career. But some experts warn that too much, too soon may not necessarily be the way to lay the ground work of a successful academic career.

According to a study published in The Cambridge Primary Review in October 2008, the consensus was that formal schooling should be delayed until children reach 6. The findings offered that trying to teach literacy and math at a young age is counterproductive. If children under 6 are in school programs, they should continue to learn through play-based initiatives. This is where the advantages of daycares/playgroups come in. 

Starting a child in school early isn't necessarily a good start. Some may show the readiness to attend school, but they may not have the maturity to absorb concepts outside of their play-based way of learning. Forcing information on a child who is not ready could cause harm to him or her. After all, the fact that a child has an early start in schooling doesn’t guarantee he or she would be a more educated child compared to him or her who starts much later.

It is true that some children are naturally more advanced than others and may benefit from early, more structured schooling. However, the vast majority will do fine during their academic career if they begin formal education at an appropriate age. 

Parents who have little choice but to enroll children in daycare/pre-school programs because they work or for other reasons should ensure that there is emphasis on:

 play-based learning

opportunities to go outside
interaction with story books
less focus on grades and performances
most especially activities that involve the family so mum and dad are participating in their child’s learning

From my point of view, children should start Formal Education as from the age of 5yrs, by then they would have attained better social (communication and interaction) skills. Parents importantly need to partake in educating their children and be great role models by setting good examples and not leave it all to the teachers in schools, remember kids are very impressionable. 

We need to let kids be kids; lets not make them grow faster than they really should.

The Joys of Children: Fact or Myth

In writing my first blog I feel the need to begin by acknowledging the joys of children. 

Children bring new light into this world. Their smiles, songs and laughter lift us into the brightness. We honour them when we offer them our love, compassion and tender guidance. If we will be still and listen to them, they will show us and tell us what their soul is to bring to this earth. By providing an environment that encourages self-expression, imaginative play, and exploration of diverse subjects and experiences, they can freely and joyously continue to hear the song of their soul clearly.

But some say parents exaggerate their happiness to validate their choice to have children when confronted with the real economic costs of having children. They ask: ‘Are the long nights and financial burdens of parenting really worth the emotional benefits?’

Richard Eibach and Steven Mock of the University of Waterloo wrote of their study in the March 2 issue of the journal Psychological Science, "Many people believe that to be truly fulfilled in life, it is necessary to experience the joys of parenthood. Children are considered an essential source of happiness, satisfaction, and pride, however, the idea that parenthood involves substantial emotional rewards appears to be something of a myth."

It is best for parents to take some time out, search their hearts, evaluate their beliefs and ask themselves, are they genuinely experiencing true joy and happiness in their children or has it become a myth, are they just putting up a farce to validate having them…..

Please share your views!!!