Kids’ experience from birth to three years is more important than we’ve ever realised before.”
This was the message from former TV news presenter Judy Bailey at Family First’s Forum on the Family in South Auckland recently. Mrs Bailey, who now gives presentations for the Brainwave Trust, said this knowledge was built on many years of research.
“The first three years of life are absolutely vital,” she pointed out. “But the information we have pretty much resides presently with academics and scientists.”
Mrs Bailey pointed out that everyone needed to know that what happened in a child’s environment greatly determined the “child’s brain development, wellbeing, and future behaviour.
“Simple consistent love and care with someone who thinks the light shines out of you and adores you -– this connection is vital for the child’s wellbeing. This needs to come from the child’s parents and others. A hurtful, neglectful, chaotic, abusive upbringing or environment leads to brain problems. The human brain is designed to be moulded by the environment it encounters,” she explained.
Mrs Bailey recalled how concerned she would get when having to, time and time again, read reports on air about violence, abuse and other bad news.
She said too many children were growing up in hurtful, chaotic, abusive households, and in New Zealand the cost of abuse and domestic violence was several billion dollars a year.
“Children need to hear the language of love, or they will not be able to express it well,” was her advice. “Emotionally responsive, available parents produce great, effective kids who will do well in life.
Rejecting, distant parents who have no emotional connection will produce children who are less socially confident and more distant from people.”
Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said the Forum was a success and that feedback from delegates was “very positive, and people appreciated the diversity and expertise the speakers brought, and also the networking people did during the break times.”
Mr McCoskrie says the synergy could be maintained through the Family First website.
