Careful Thoughts Parents Must Give Concerning Their Child's Mental Development

Placing too much emphasis on the physical care a child deserves while giving little attention to his mental development is rather typical. It is a common assumption among many parents that the process of mental development of a child, especially during the early months and years of his life, proceeds spontaneously; they believe that whatever they do will not or cannot influence - whether positively or negatively - this process. But this notion is totally incorrect.

To begin with, a child, in his early months or years in life, possesses natural abilities or impulses toward learning that it is not good to push him in mental achievements beyond these. Pushing a child beyond his natural abilities can only develop a feeling of apprehensiveness or nervousness in him; any supposed advantages he gains in growing are easily offset by the detriments caused by the exhaustion or weariness that he gets as a result of being pushed.

Allowing certain circumstances to intrude into the natural and normal mental development process of a child is equally imprudent. As far as the child's brain is concerned, his sense organs - what he tastes, smells, hears, sees, and feels - serve as the only means of his link with the outside world. It is through the experiences provided by the child's sense organs that his brain develops - the very experiences out of which his brain sets up realities and kinships.

Try to picture these scenarios: A baby is confined to a playpen inside a room that's free from noise so that he will neither be disturbed nor get hurt; he is restricted in a walker or a jumper so that his mother can go on with her household chores without interruptions; or he is kept back from crawling on the floor so that he will not get dirty. All these effectively take away from the child the good chances to taste, smell, hear, see, and feel naturally, and, hence prevent his brain from developing normally. Children are naturally curious in anything and everything, and they need every opportunity to satisfy their inquisitiveness. Only as they have the opportunity will their capacity for knowledge develop at the rate of progress normal for them.

A child should be allowed to be one with the family. Let other children pay attention to him, and vice versa; allow him to hear their voices and touch their faces. Let him become familiar with as many things as possible and as quickly as his growing capabilities allow. This, of course, isn't saying that the child should not be kept from handling valuable or breakable items. What is stressed here is that he should be allowed to live as normally and as amply as a child can. The different sensory experiences, such as smelling a flower, hearing music, or putting the soap wrapper in his mouth, make him more active and watchful, thereby speeding up the process of his mental development.

Having said these, a child should be disciplined when absolutely needed; he should be led towards the right path in his behavior. Training should be blended with tolerance, while steadfastness must be combined with love. Never repress a child's longing to gain understanding or knowledge of his surroundings. As parents, it is your privilege to raise your child's confidence in the things that arouse his interest and to satisfy his desire to learn. Indeed, what parents do in the course of their rearing their child can either hasten or impede his mental development. [Read the Original Article]