I believe we can do more to help children who are currently struggling. When children misbehave at school they are quickly labeled. Classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are stressed out which is understandable. Children as young as even first grade are now being sent to alternative schools. If kids think they are bad and others think they are bad- they will feel this way inside. Rather than put children in alternative schools with other children who act out - we need to think of something different. Counseling is needed but we can do more. Middle class parents cannot afford treatment many times due to cost of counseling with their high deductible health insurance. Not every child is blessed to have good parents and good neighborhoods either not to mention now see hatred all over social media. I also believe we need more camps that teach school work with good counselors and spiritual leaders. These children could be doing something to help the community in these camps as well- grow food or help repair homes for elderly. While one positive experience will never help every child or even half- if it helped some then that could permanently impact a child for the better. Every child I see on tv that has committed a crime as a mother I can’t help but feel another child lost.
1 Children’s cereal seem to alter their behaviors. I make my niece eggs, fruit, and not so often bacon in the morning. She doesn’t have these behaviors as if she eats cereal. It could be the fake sugars.
2 Children need good examples and mentors. Everything they watch, they imitate.
3 Parents need to be more involved in their children’s life. I’m with my niece alot so I keep an eye on what she watches on TV and what she can and cannot eat. All kids in the US are addicted to 1 endorphins (TV and games) 2 sugar. Got to find positive alternatives. I also take my niece places and find new things to do and make so they are never bored. I also teach morals and give her philosophical things she can try and answer. I give her the idea there is a time and place for everything. When in school, focus on school-work (I also keep an eye out on the schools for bad stuff. Anything i dont want, id likley tell my state govenor) when not in school, do fun things and make stuff.
4 Be strict and limit strictness, find new strategies , methods to reason, and psychological tactics. When my niece arrived for me to take care of them, I was strict but also laid out the ground rules, discipline was never needed because if she did things wrong, she doesn’t get what she wants. She does things right, she gets things she wants. She plays too rough, i lightly bop her on the head (like a cat; symbolizing and telling them for them to use their brain) or tickle her after i warn her. These are soft ways of discipline. When she says violent things, i ask her if she wants this done to her. If I say no or not now, I taught her to negotiate to find ways to get what she wants.
5 Don’t be their friends be their guides. Their brain is still molding and maturing. Treat them like an adult because this is who they are becoming. Build responsibility, respect, and let them develop character. Spend a lot of time with them and let them grow. Teach them balance and responsibility. Let them help you in doing easy tasks and thank and congratulate them when they help. Tell them your proud when they do the right thing. Make them clean their own messes and if they don’t, you turn it into jokes and make fun of them for it. Suprisingly this helps. Children hate labels and will self correct. Also, no means no, and to try another time.
There is a lot to guiding children to be adults and enjoying their youth. I feel these are just a few of them. It all leads to being a guide and teaching them everything you know, the reason why, what are their thoughts, and teaching how the world really works and leaving things for later when their brains can comprehend subjects.
My niece started off as a spoiled, rebel, and wild savage child, or a ‘demon spawn’, and over a year has changed to be a considerate, civilized, and high cooperative gremlin. I am proud of her. I spent most of the time with her as her mom works. I can’t seem to find work so I write and make art instead as I apply for places. She will leave to go back to her native country so I’ll be able to grind and make phone calls to find more work. For once I will finally have non exhausting free time until my brother needs their boy baby sitted.
My niece is a girl, so I’m not sure how these elements i described applies to boys. Boys are supposedly more competitive, chaotic, ignorant, and have much more energy which requires more time spent with them and doing stuff. Im sure when other family wants me to baby sit them, I’ll find out for myself.
Overall, we cannot fail our families, we cannot fail our children. It is up for us to learn ourselves and seek strategies to build the adults we want to see in our children. Every child is different, every child is unique. Teaching them in a classroom as a one size fits all solution, will in my opinion, absolutely never work. Boys need to run around and get more hands on experience, girls need the social interaction. Every brain is different. Each child requires different things. It all starts with: their parents, what they eat, how much they play, how much they learn outside of school, and what they watch. A lot of this starts with the parents, how much they know, what strategies they can make, how creative they are, how well they can and adapt, and how they can apply things. Teaching children wont always come from culture and text books, it comes through experience and personal- intellect. This is my experience.
Honestly, I could probably write a book on the topic if I had enough time.
Anyhow, that’s my take of the top of my head.