Monday, July 12, 2010

INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN - WHAT IT MEANS

I have spoken about the 'integrated' development of a child many times, and I would like to peel off the layers one by one. I say layers, because our 'being' is in layers, and the deeper layers need the most attention. Each layer needs its own food to nourish it, but it needs a step-by-step approach. If our physical, emotional and intellectual layers of the personality work at cross-purposes, they only produce problems, and hence, a 'disintegrated' or 'disharmonious' individual. If we want melody instead of cacophony, we need to start as early with our children as possible. If we think of our own upbringing, most of us were brought up in well-meaning but somehow, imbalanced circumstances. Some households gave too much attention to food and physical health, others only to studies and making the children slog, while many others believed in the philosophy of 'Don't worry, be happy' too much. Others still believed in too much religious activities, while others did not believe much in religion and spirituality at all.
I have hardly come across very well-balanced individuals of my generation, barring a few, and by talking to everyone, I just figured out that whatever the parents were most comfortable with, that was the philosophy followed in most households. The reasons for doing or not doing things were mostly not questioned or bothered with, and things were mostly convenience-based. Which is perhaps a good road to take, till the children grow up and start displaying their own personalities. That is a jolting experience for the parents, feeling more like Dr. Frankenstein, and then the blame-games begin. The society is to be blamed, the school, the education system, the neighbourhood, the children's friends, their parents, the one bad summer holiday, the news on television, the economy, the roadside vendors, the grandparents, you name it, and all of them are to be blamed!! Except the parents of course, because how could they have brought up their children in a way that lacks something! I agree, all parents try to bring up their children to the best of their ability and knowledge, but the lack comes from never thinking about the processes involved right from conception through the growing years of a child.
I call these decisions because everything you adopt or reject, shapes your child's and your life forever. But the process of rejecting and accepting can only come into play when you actually question and consider each preconceived notion and belief you've ever had. So let us all take a decision to start thinking about everything we can possibly do right in the upbringing of our children. And what better time to start than Now?
Let's begin with the physical aspect. We have all been told a million times that 'Health is Wealth', 'A healthy mind only resides in a healthy body', 'Health is more precious than all the gold in the world', etc. A famous Sanskrit saying goes 'Sariram khalu dharmasadhanam' (The body is the means of fulfillment of 'dharma'.) This is absolutely true- without a healthy body, there can be no mental or spiritual growth. This means good health and fitness, including the education, awareness and discipline necessary to achieve it. Most of us take health for granted – we very often assume it to be an absence of illness. In the modern day, even the presence of a few illnesses is not alarming enough for people to change their ways. It is only when we are afflicted by some serious illness, like diabetes, heart problem, blood pressure, etc. that we start to pay attention to our physical condition, diet and exercise.
Childhood is the period of actual physical growth, and the time when great attention and care needs to be taken for the child's growth. All the major and minor organs, the bones, muscles, nervous, circulatory, endocrine, immune and other systems are either growing or getting activated. A child's body is more a trial run for all these systems, and they come into full play as adults. What we put into a child's body is, thus, going to make the adults we are. Parents, schools and educators now have to take a more positive and dynamic approach towards children's health. This implies a discipline of the body that the child has to learn and understand how to use his/her body. A routine must be developed for this purpose, as well as a sense of security and respect for their own bodies. Besides the understanding of health and related aspects, children must also understand the internal working and care of their systems. There should be proper nourishment for the body and a simultaneous education about proper nutrition. Children have to be taught the relationship between their bodies and the environment and society. The major components of Physical Development are: physical fitness, nutrition, hygiene, physical grooming, health education and health assessment. Each of these is a vast subject by itself, and the first aspect, physical fitness, is what I would like to elaborate on next time. Till then, keep writing, take care!

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