He says that within a few years we are going to have only two programs for children; those that are on drugs and those that are in the gifted program. You know it is really, really frightening. It’s really scary. I think we don’t, we haven’t even begun to look at the ramifications of this kind of thing. What kind of parents are these kids going to be? Nobody’s going to understand the normal energy of the young child.
Things to think about
Do you see the dangers Bev describes with children in your program?
How do you feel about it?
Highlights from Playful Wisdom
by Michael Mendizza featuring Bev Bos and Joseph Chilton Pearce
Love transforms effort and attention into near-constant nurturing. Nurturing is a transformative practice. Years ago Joseph Chilton Pearce described how all learning in the early years involves movement and therefore, young children are always moving. You would think we could keep up. Not a chance. It takes a village. It is painfully evident how habitual and repetitive we “dults” are. A few years ago there was some discussion about how many thoughts we have each day. Estimates ranged from 50,000 to 70,000. Deepak Chopra pointed out that most thoughts are repeats. While children need predictability and rhythm, they also crave novelty and new adventures. How do we maintain a healthy balance between what is predictable and what is new? That is a big challenge. It keeps changing every day. Some years ago I interviewed Dr. Marian Diamond, one of the foremost researchers of the anatomy of the brain and author of Enriching Heredity: The Impact of the Environment on the Anatomy of the Brain. Marian described how boring, sensory-impoverished environments limited and constrained brain growth, while enriched environments nurtured and stimulated growth and development. We also discussed how overstimulation caused the rats she was studying to shut down and withdraw, resulting in reduced development. Too much stimulation slams the brakes on development. Balance is a blend of predictable and safe with new possibilities, and that implies adventure and risk.
This morning I pulled the step stool by the kitchen counter so my young daughter could see, and proceeded to crack open a fresh coconut. A few moments later she was pushing the stool around like a shopping cart. When I shave, the old-fashioned way with lather and a blade, she sits on the edge of the sink, feet splashing, quite happily playing with the toothbrush and lather. Not content with being passive, she places the lid back on the container, grabs the toothpaste and removes the top. And this goes on every waking moment, constant movement, constant interaction and constant learning as nature designed.