
Here’s another view regarding what our children need in the early years.
The elephants in the room.
There are so many of us that know what children really need. Understand the biology. Attachment, brain development and nervous systems.
Know deep in our heart that the best place for a child is at home with a loving regulated adult to guide and nurture them.
When my son was 3 or there abouts, the 20 free hours came in and a narrative that sending your child to ece centres was appropriate. It even felt, to me, they were saying back then that better than a parent. I remember feeling at the time this didnt feel right.
A subtle narrative that wasn't really built on truth. I remember saying to my husband back then (and I wasn't even an ece teacher back then) we will pay as a society for this and I foretold we would see the effects of this as our children got older.
Would see more dysregulation.
And that wasn't even including our covid days. When everyone was sent home and the stress of work and childcare.
Because the truth is that the best place for a child is with a nurturing adult. And my belief as a teacher is that if a child has to go into care, for whatever reason, then as teachers we should be offering the very best care we can. Its why I went off to learn from The Pikler Institute, because Emmi Pikler had observed children and worked out a choreography if they were in group care, so not to damage them.
The harsh reality was that if I was going to work in an institutional setting I wanted to understand how not to damage the children.
And I’m struggling more and more with this business model of raising children. Struggling where my place is as so much I dont agree with.
As I have travelled my own journey I have developed my own lane. As many of you have read on my journey I was a child that experienced trauma in my first year of life because of my own parents trauma of losing my older sister at 10 months. When I was born, no one supported my mum and she couldnt open her heart to love me until after I had survived 10 months. By then the damage to my brain, nervous system and attachment had already happened. No judgement on my mum, even all those years ago society let her and me down.
So my lane and what I have grown to love doing is supporting those that had missing parts of their own childhood. I create courses to support what I wished I had been given as a baby, parent and teacher. No guilt, shame or judgement ever.
With soft eyes and compassion. Knowing that you can't give what you haven’t had ❤️
And I also know that if we are to highlight the elephants that everyone is ignoring I need to support other people with huge heart in different lanes.
So today I am highlighting Helen Armstrong - Early Childhood Consultant. As she steps into the limelight and in her way that is different and similar to mine and is courageously speaking out.
Helen will reach people I wont and vice versa. I believe we need to be celebrating the different work of others.
There is an illusion of competition
A comparison that one person is better than another.
Another elephant in the room is that there is so much work to be done that we need to learn to work together. To find ways to work together. To support and celebrate each other
Because
This is not good enough for the children
And so many of us know this.
Helen is doing a series and as I read it I know I cant explain better.
So you might want to follow along here💚
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