Jain Spirit 2004 03 No 18

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 32

30 LIFESTYLE
LAVINIA PLONKA ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO RELAX WITH THEIR CHILDREN
MORE RELAXED MORE PERFECT
Photo: Dinodia.com
Did you know that even the placement of a baby's crib can affect a child's development? Whatever the crib's relationship to a sunny window, the baby instantly orients his gaze towards the light, perhaps making one eye dominant or creating a skeletal bias towards turning in that direction. Does this mean you need to dash into the nursery right now and place the crib in a symmetrical relationship with the window? Does not-knowing this fact make you a bad parent? How can a parent truly know what is best for a child? D elax. Odds are that no matter what you do, your child will
not turn out as anticipated. No matter what books you
read, what courses you take, much of the advice will more than likely be refuted or reversed 20 years from now. Just take the example of the medical industry's swift response to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Some studies revealed that SIDS victims were found on their stomach. Suddenly, a whole generation of children was kept from rolling over. A few years later, researchers noticed that these children were taking longer to crawl. Obviously it takes a while to learn to crawl if you spend all your time on your back The solution? The industry because let's face it, babies are an industry, has created a new responsibility for mothers - Tummy Time. Supervised time spent with the baby on its belly. Of course, making the baby roll on her belly according to Mom's busy
schedule creates stress for the child. She becomes unhappy and uncooperative. The solution? Tummy Time classes and Tummy Time toys. Not to mention competitive mothers who worry that little Kathy is not on her feet yet, while Jeffrey next door is already walking.
As I researched this article, the litany of factors contributing to parenting problems became overwhelming. Economic pressure, overmedication, television, diet, education, the erosion of the extended family and advertising only scratch the surface. Should I send my child for music lessons? Is it safe for them to play unsupervised? What if he refuses to eat vegetables? How much television is too much? Why is she sulking? Is he learning disabled? Are these vaccines necessary? I'm so tired!
For many years, Western society has engaged in the form of child development called 'socialisation. This process was what good parents were supposed to do in order to make their children proper members of society. This process of socialisation combined with the above factors has resulted in a generation of children unlike any other. Auto-immune disorders, learning disabilities, diminished perceptual abilities, attention deficit disorder and simple rage run rampant among today's children. What is a parent's responsibility? How can one possibly weave through the confounding barrage of conflicting information out there and just facilitate a happy childhood?