If you were to ask a hundred children what they need the most from others, you just might get a hundred different answers. That’s because all individuals are unique and different, and therefore have different needs.
Let’s face it, today’s children face numerous challenges on a daily basis. There are challenges at home, at school, and in the community. At home, parents set rules, establish guidelines, develop limits, give demands, and hold high expectations because they want their children to succeed in life. Away from home, our schools practically do the same because they want to graduate students who are college and career ready. To emphasize this, at the end of every school year, students are tested to measure their academic growth. Finally, our communities have certain expectations as to how children should think, feel, and behave. Our communities want to raise children who will become productive adults ready for “real life” challenges.
Although, we know that the primary responsibility of raising children falls into the hands of parents, we can’t expect them to do it all. Meeting those basic, but challenging needs, such as security, stability, consistency, emotional support, structure, positive role models, and love is a major task belonging to all of us.
When it comes to raising children in our challenging society, it really does take a village. It takes a caring, dependable, and supportive group of people to produce positive outcomes. Together, we can help each other to make the difference.
Wallace Handy
Educational Consultant