The importance of a well bonded relationship between a Mother and her child, goes all the way back to Biblical times, and based on these teachings, most societies honor reverence for Mothers, as well as, emphasize the obligation for Parents to; keep their children clean, well fed, healthy, and loved.
The basis for Early Childhood Education is the understanding that there is no stronger bond, then that between a Mother and her child, and this bond needs to be respected. No matter how much we Educators know about Early Childhood Education, nobody understands their child better than the Parent, and therefore we can make recommendations if necessary, but never demands.
In a recent entry in the "Ask Amy" column, in the Chicago Tribune, a Grandmother writes in with concerns about the relationship between her daughter and granddaughter. The grandmother states, that during a Holiday visit, she witnessed some very odd and disturbing behavior and goes on to say, that on a day off of work, the daughter let the granddaughter stay home from school, and spent several hours, giggling, cuddling on the sofa while watching a children’s movie, singing Christmas carols, and sitting on the floor cutting out snowflakes.
The grandmother appears to be very concerned that the Mother is smothering her child, and continues stating the daughters deviant behavior extends through the rest of the visit. The daughter goes to work, picks up the granddaughter from school, and spends the evening; baking, cuddling, singing, and laughing.
As you read through the entry, you keep waiting for the abuse to become apparent, but the writing unfolds, and says the son-in-law is fine with this relationship, so we know the daughter is married, the granddaughter, has friends and extra-curricular activities, and the home is well-maintained.
The grandmother is unaware that instead of criticizing the relationship she should be offering her daughter an award for “Best Mother of the Year”. What a strong bond, this Mother must have with her child, and how committed she must be to the relationship to be able, to work all day, maintain a marriage, maintain a home, and still have the energy to; bake, sing, cuddle, and laugh!
Anybody who is seriously concerned about this relationship must be unaware of the true meaning of; poverty, neglect, or abuse, which is cause for grave distress. For more information on the proper care of young children, or how to report abuse, check out these web-sites:
www.nrc.org.
www.caringforchildrenfoundation.org.
www.naeyc.org.
www.healthychildcare.org.
www.childrendefense.org.
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