A Parent's Agony

Everything is critical in these Covid times. No one knows better than governments, we are told, often enough. We are incapable of making healthy decisions for our children, they say. Only employees of the government know anything, having the wisdom, insights and rights that have been bestowed upon them by us!

Government has become this know-it-all monolithic behemoth employing too many people - elected and otherwise - making random, foolish, nonsensical decisions, enacting rules, without formal protocols in place in consultation with us, their employers. They work for us. Remember that!

Fickle governments lie in wait everywhere ready to rule the tax payers, we hard working human money machines, creators of the ever-popular, ever-enduring and all-important tax dollars. Our money is theirs for the taking to spend at will ensuring the power structure remains in tact dictating to the 'working class' what is in their best interests. We know little. 'They' know it all! We must behave and stay quiet. WRONG!!

During this period of upheaval, our children's health and well being are being sacrificed. 'School' is where our children belong. It is their world! It is their life! Yet the world of neuroplasticity has never been mentioned. It is the cornerstone of learning for this unique group of burgeoning adult humans. They say follow the science. Well, neuroplasticity is science! (The most powerful computer in the world is the human brain. Einstein says. Makes logical sense to TheMomsey) The building blocks of the human brain, however, begins at birth. That is science!

The shaping of the very young brain has been dealt a blow. Learning is now at high risk. Children are learning by interactive live t.v. For many this is substantive care. Social interaction is forbidden, in many places. Those children deemed special needs are at greater risk.  The hand is the next greatest learning tool for children. Learning lost is overwhelming and sometimes irretrievable.

The growth and reorganization of the neural pathways of the minds of babies and children occur daily. But while these tiny building blocks of thought are in lock down, so is learning. Intellectual growth stagnates and begins its downward spiral. 

Fun is at the core of learning for the very young. This is not a game. The pruning and remodeling of the young mind is a non-stop process resulting from a medley of daily 'novel' experiences arising from the social interaction between children and a caring silly adult. These special three dimensional moments boost explosive intellectual activity igniting memory, focus and higher order thinking. It is a seamless trail of learning fun.

The re-opening of schools should have happened long ago. In many jurisdictions it did. Moms and dads are tired of waiting for a return to normalcy. Is home schooling the answer? Could be for some. It is a growing phenomena where the parent has absolute power over the daily learning structures and objectives of their children. Creating a neighborhood block of home schoolers could be one answer. Each parent within a 'pod' takes a day- with the help of other like-minded parents within the structure - to create the academic trajectory for their children. Bullying ceases to be a problem any longer. The focus is on reading, writing, spoken language, mathematics, music and higher order thinking - as it should be. How those feats of intelligence are accomplished matters little. That is simply called curriculum. What matters most is engagement, the absolute tools of the learning trade for the very young.

As he ran up to the tire tread mark left in our gravel driveway, he remarked “tire indentation”. I was shocked. He had remembered another 'indentation' weeks ago, an unusual mark, he observed on our living room carpet. At that time, I explained why it had occurred: a sofa had been moved months ago. Indentation, weight, time, wear and tear highlighted that earlier learning moment. While I spoke, his interest grew as he noted this carpet curiosity. The science of that event had travelled with him, until today, when he saw a similar deep mark in our driveway. (It was a car this time not a sofa.) His scientific mind had understood the phenomenon, then and now.  Now I was bewildered. Was this truly the mind of a 3-year-old?

The internet and pandemic have altered truth and society in ways never imagined. A parent's agony is now on full display. Education has released its own Pandora's box for us all to see and hear? An intrusion has occurred without parents' permission. The curriculum is suspect. Being held captive in our mind is a dangerous thing. Mommies and daddies are no longer sitting idly by, hoping for the best. They are now demanding it and orchestrating its return!