All parents strongly desire for their children to succeed in the classroom, even if a vision of success differs from one family to the next. Whatever success looks to you and your family, it all starts with finding balance in this whirlwind of modern living. While the struggle to reach equilibrium in life’s pendulum proves elusive for all of us, as parents, it’s much more readily apparent with the intense challenges today’s busy world presents.
Children, like us, are at their best when they receive enough sleep and well-balanced meals. Their young bodies require ample time to engage in play, ideally outside. Children need clear boundaries for everything, especially with screen time and content. Additionally, it’s essential to stretch a child’s mind by reading, discussing mathematical and philosophical concepts, and participating in artistic expression in one form or another. As a parent of a young child, I understand how hard it is to balance all this with the immense stressors a busy working schedule provides. Admittedly, when I’m with my daughter, it often feels like I’m parenting with an avalanche of distractions headed swiftly in my direction in the form of work responsibilities, dishes, groceries, cooking, cleaning, and bills.
The beginning of the school year provides opportunities to get back to basics. Whether you’re new to Healthy Child Care Colorado or well-versed in our offerings, here is an opportunity to view (or review) our most utilized resources. We support those who care for our children, both in body and mind. Our mission is to build safe, supportive, and healthy early childhood settings and systems where children and professionals learn and grow. We collaborate with national, state, and local entities to meet the needs of the people and places serving our youngest children to assist in the following:
- Obesity prevention
- Social-Emotional Development and Inclusion and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
- Oral Health
- Injury prevention
- Additional training opportunities
We support those who provide care for children to help them reach equilibrium because we know that a well-balanced child will have a greater capacity to achieve. We recognize, however, that there is one thing you can do to improve the trajectory of your child’s future: your presence. Taking the time to listen, converse, love, eat, dance, and play with your child is the most important thing you can do to help your child succeed in this world. Presence increases your child’s ability to understand their value and self-worth. Being with your child with whatever it is they are engaging in or feeling at the given moment presents the greatest challenge for parents; and remains the most critical for their future outcomes.
So yes, feed your child nutritional food, ensure they get to bed at a decent time, read to them, and provide predictable boundaries… But most importantly, be there with them as often as you can. As a parent and educator, I believe that 90% of parenting is showing up as your most authentic and often messy self. Your child is at their best when they are seen, loved by, and connected to you. Connection is the ultimate journey for a young child and often for us as adults, too. Children who have a connection to you, their champion, will have a healthy attachment and can find success through their journey in the classroom and beyond.
By Jason Gold