Editors Note: The Importance of Helping Your Child Explore Their Purpose
Proverbs 22:6
(NIV)
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
When I was a child my grandmother would always tell me I that I could be anything I wanted to be . She would buy me books on African American inventors , writers , models , artists , advocates of change , such as Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King.
Then there were books like “ Where the Wild Things Are” that opened up my imagination. These books took me to fantasy places and brought me brighter days in times where the world felt mean or scary . To this day, I don’t question my passion for writing and why I feel called to it . It was the inspiration of those same books that she gave me and when I have my own children I will pass them down to them .
CDC.gov ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), says that the “The early years of a child’s life are very important for later health and development. One of the main reasons being because of how fast the brain grows starting before birth and continuing into early childhood”. They go on to add that “Although the brain continues to develop and change into adulthood, the first 8 years can build a foundation for future learning, health and life success.” During this time is it important that parents and caregivers allow the children time to “play and explore in a safe environment protected from neglect and from extreme or chronic stress” https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/early-brain-development.html . Whether it be teaching your child how to count money on their play cash register or baking with them on their easy bake oven ; learning and exploring these opportunities help them grow. You also never know where it could take them .
I remember playing with the same toys mentioned as a child and when I turned 15 years old , my first job was a Cashier at Stop & Shop Supermarket . With my “play” register my mom and grandparents taught me the importance of receiving and giving back correct change and later on in life, those same lessons helped me. Even if your child’s interest seems out of the ordinary (as long as it is positive), explore it , challenge it. You never know who or what they will become .
Be Encouraged,
Noelani
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