Welcome to the Playpen site. If you have a child, this is a good place to be. I’ll be sharing my experiences as a mother and a school teacher, and hope that you can use this wealth of information to answer some of your own parenting queries. By the way my “child” is now 32, married with a family of his own and my business partner! What’s more I have been engaged with the field of education even longer, so you can be sure I have lots of stories to share!
Times are different now from when we raised our child. There were no electronics dominating our lives, there were few “fast food” places and families were larger. In other words, life was much simpler, and we had a much easier time raising our children that parents have today. Value systems are rapidly changing and exposure is far greater. Often, both parents are working and that brings its own set of parenting issues.
So, first things first. If possible, try and give as much personal time to your child in the first 3-4 years of his/her life. Research has shown that more that 50% of the child’s intellectual development happens before the age of 4! I would suggest that you read the statement again – more that 50% of the child’s intellectual development happens before the age of 4. The implications of this are mind boggling. If a child’s mind is appropriately stimulated at this stage, he/she already has a head start for what’s to come ahead. In this most sensitive period of brain development in a child, the foundations are laid for academic learning, emotional and social growth, language and expression – and all this happens before your child has even stepped into a school!
