I was most surprised, when this ten year old child, reached out for a simple puzzle of shapes, to play with, when she visited me with her parents for a consultation. After she had an opportunity to play with it for a reasonable time, I asked her why she chose a puzzle to play with. ‘It reminds me of my kindergarten days’, she replied. There was a smile on her face when she answered.
Most children have vivid memories of their early childhood days. Often those memories are associated with much emotion.
I have a suspicion that early childhood days are still the most neglected periods at home and at schools. With the advent of internet, TV, video games, most pre-school children are entertained by the visual media. In fact, some children are fed while they watch TV programmes and would refuse to eat if TV is not on. I have watched pre-school children clinging on to their parents, when they are taken to school and refusing to go into the class room. When they finally go, it is following a threat or punishment.
Early childhood ought to be most memorable times, of fun, friendships, conversations, outings, interactive play, listening to stories, children’s parties, etc. Let me suggest that, what our children become, socially, morally, cognitively and behaviorally are determined by how we make them experience their environment during their early childhood.
I suggest that parents form ‘neighborhood parenting support group’ to explore how they can collectively address the felt and unspoken needs of children, in a society children sometimes get reduced to being accommodated !
In one part of one city, where we lived, there were 43 children’s play areas or parks in 1983. By 1997, it got reduced to 18 and now it is just about 10. Most of them became Malls and commercial complexes. Is this not an example of tampering with childhood environment!
Let us not take away because of our shortsightedness or greed, what we ought to preserve for children-Happy memories of early childhood !
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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