An Insight into the Innocent Minds

“A child is not a smaller version of adult” ~JEAN PIAGET

This statement was made by a very famous cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget while formulating the famous cognitive theory. Piaget says, “Children are not a smaller version of their parents”, though this was said in the context of the cognitive development of a child, where each stage of development needs a perfect blend of environmental and caregivers’ role to accomplish developmental milestones during all stages.

There is a huge role of nature and nurture in the inception of a child, though the theories based on the two aspects have always been in debate with each other to claim the importance of one over the another. Be as it may, parents are the first helping hand to a child as they provide them with the support for their psychological wellness-as challenging as it may be at times- and consider it equally important to provide them with physical health too. Parents and caregivers must take out time and do a wellness - check on their child frequently.

On the other hand, a teacher is responsible for providing an apt environment to the children which enhances their morale and boosts their confidence as much as possible. Children should also be taught how to practice gentle and accessible self-care as it is also better for prevention from future mental health issues.

When it comes to children and psychology, many myths/stigmas are still prevalent in our society. For the much-needed evolution of thoughts and perception, these need to be encountered with facts. Let’s talk about some myths, which, when encountered and corrected by the facts, become a key ingredient that can get our society closer to a recipe uniquely designed for the inception of a strong and resilient child.

“Children are not things to be moulded, but are people to be unfolded” ~JESS LAIR

MYTH:

Sugar intake causes children to be hyperactive.

FACT:

Most parents think that their child is sugar reactive and sugar makes their mind and body cause so much hyperactivity. But years of scientific research has shown that eating sugar neither causes hyperactivity, nor it causes ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

MYTH:

Bed-wetting is a sign of serious emotional problems.

FACT:

Bed-wetting doesn’t reflect a character flaw or emotional issues in a child, rather, it requires evidence-based treatment and compassion, both from parents and the therapist.

MYTH:

Showing cognitively stimulating videos to babies boosts their intelligence.

FACT:

Contradictory to this myth, research on how to promote learning with infants and toddlers shows that interaction with adults leads to more superior and intellectual learning in babies than from videos. Also, the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended an alternative to watching television, which is for parents to read to their babies every day.

MYTH:

Therapy for kids is a waste of time.

FACT:

Therapy is about gaining new coping skills, and learning different strategies for handling problems. Research has shown that there is a window of opportunity during the first few years, when symptoms appear, and when interventions are more successful. Often treatment programs focus on changing the thought processes, feelings, and beliefs that cause children difficulties the most.

MYTH:

Psychiatric disorders result from bad parenting.

FACT:

While a child’s home environment and relationship with their parents can exacerbate a psychiatric disorder, they don’t cause the disorder. Things like anxiety, depression, autism, and learning disorders are thought to have biological causes. Parenting isn’t to blame there either. But parents do play a central role by providing support and care that is crucial to their child’s recovery.

MYTH:

Personality is shaped by whether one is a firstborn, the youngest, or an only child.

FACT:

It is usually believed that the oldest in the bunch usually turns out to be a strong-willed, conscientious, and dominant adult. But many researchers have proved this to be false. In 2015, German psychologists analyzed data from thousands of people in the U.S., U.K., and Germany and found no significant correlations between birth order and traits such as agreeableness, conscientiousness, or imagination. In another study that year, psychologists Damian and Roberts found a very small association between birth order and personality, and some of them even contradicted the previous theorizing about firstborns and later born.

MYTH:

Children’s emotional turmoil shouldn’t be taken seriously, as they don’t feel strong emotions and forget things.

FACT:

A person’s childhood experiences are something that affects them throughout their life. Early childhood years are formative and leave an imprint on one’s mind, which remains there lifelong and significantly affects a person’s adult behavior. Children do feel strong and intense emotions. They just can’t understand or explain them properly. Therefore, when a child cries at a seemingly insignificant thing, attention must be paid, as their sadness is probably about something much more than a ‘minuscule thing’.

A WAY FORWARD!

Let’s make sure that no child has to succumb and be weighed down with these illogical myths and misconceptions which make their mental health worse, and that no child gets devoid of the freedom to evolve and bloom gracefully.

Let’s teach our children to believe in themselves and provide them the love and support so that they can reach their true potential.

Let’s come together and create an environment that is safe and comfortable for children, and where voices of all these innocent souls are heard so that they don’t get lost among the loud voices of the rest of the world.

So be their promising hands and let them know 'IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY'

Authors:

Palak Singla

Bhoomi Chawla

Priyanka Yadav

Reviewed by:

Aasis Sethi