Become a preventionist, “someone expert in or favoring or employing preventive measures.” These people use the finest skills available for stopping problems before they start. Interestingly enough, in early childhood, we teach tried and tested skills that parents and grandparents can use to have positive lasting effects. Certain kinds of input for children beginning on day one, and even before, can lay the groundwork for later lives free of addiction, mass shootings, depression, suicide and more. For real!
While most people think all parenting comes naturally, and much of it does, there really are some major strategies for daily childcare that need to be learned. Self-esteem is the goal, and it takes important body/mind practices in the first three foundation years, especially the first one, and pregnancy to create it. Self-worth is a powerful concept that attacks problems before they start. It comes from specifics that are often overlooked in modern-day life.
Here is what Norman Vincent Peale said in his classic 1950s book, “The Power of Positive Thinking.” “Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but responsible confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”
He carefully explains that self-confidence is the one characteristic that generates more positive energy than almost any other. It is the force behind successful living.
How about parent education for new and young parents? While preschool and kindergarten can help do the job, it takes knowledgeable parents right from the start who hold the power. Adding preschool is a wonderful idea, but experts in the field call it “too late.” The say, “Real change will come from parents and grandparents, soon to be called ‘preventionists,’ who can learn the job and do it well.”
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
