The first photo of a rose bud opening was a fascinating sight. The three other photos taken on the third, fifth and seventh days tell the story of the flower opening progressively to its fullness! The bud became the flower.
A newborn becomes an infant, toddler, pre-schooler, early schooler, pre-adolescent, adolescent and a youth!
This journey of a child is a mystery of the unfolding experience, most parents take great delight in to watch and admire!
The pre-adolescent child is different from the infant that he or she was!
A child health specialist is a doctor trained to know the child across these transitions. It is his or her opportunity to point out to parents the transitions and transformations taking place in the lives of a child in order to support parents to develop a correspondingly maturing parenting role !
A family who came to talk about their six years old child about him not adjusting well at school, happened to mention that he slept late around mid night when parents went to bed. Parents stayed late as that was the only time they had for themselves after a long day at work. They overlooked that an early school going child needed nine to ten hours of sleep. Their son got only seven hours of sleep habitually.
Three weeks later, after they followed the different plans we discussed, they telephoned to say that their son was comfortable at school and not restless at home. The parents having changed their sleep-wake rhythm to get eight hours of sleep felt better, unlike in the past where a feeling of tiredness had prevailed.
A child is a growing and changing person!
Parents too are required to grow and change to comprehend the child as a person in his or her environment.
The second photo above, with water drops in the petals of the opening flower symbolised to me of the tender graces and care, children need in their growing up years!
A youth that a child shall be in two decades, is the perspective that parents need when they are engaged in being with their infant!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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