When we look out upon our present world, we see it from the eye's of a 21st century human, with modern "education" and viewpoint's. And as we continually hear the expression, those who forget history, are bound to repeat it, we look at history with eyes that are both foggy, and altered by our inability to relate as those who lived these time's as well as each and every writer's perspective's. When I was young, kindergarten and first grade, there was no pre-school in the 50's, we would form a circle and play the phone game. The teacher would whisper a phrase in the ear of the first child to the right, who would whisper to the second, until it arrived at the teacher. Never was the phrase intact, and often it was so far off, that everyone had a great laugh. This is probably true of even the most trusted fact's that we hold true today.
There is a separate, but societally relevant factor that is spreading frightfully fast. Fewer and fewer of our youth seem to be focusing on their lives, their future's and while finding time to dive into the deep end of technology, games and materialism, they are woefully deficient in skills such as math, english writing, and nothing to do about science and religion or spirituality. This is a long standing gripe of parent's dating back to Plato, but the addictiveness and media drive to abandon the arts, science and personal growth has made this generation(s) particularly imbalanced, from my eye's. (song for podcast).
If this were the only accelerated anti-societal trend, we would adapt, and find a balance. Add human chemical and biochemical disruptions from a huge variety of agricultural, pharmaceutical, industrial toxins and pollutant's and you put the species in a profound bind. Then there is an equal, if not even more significant feature of our present times. The family, and it's wisdom fill centuries of how to best raise both infants and young children so they are equipped both emotionally and with the necessary learning to pave their own lives, and again raise healthy and hearty offspring.
Farming, hunting, making tools clothing and cooking instruments, and finally preserving home and territory were some of the learning that was needed of every child in the village. Until we return to the tried and proven elements of our forgotten history's, we will not only repeat it, but we will add to it.
So, what are the principles of traditional child "rearing". From my study's, which are significant, I find a nearly universal principle of child rearing from indigenous islands, and throughout the long histories of what we call Europe and Asia, as the new world, predominantly feature the island indigenous principles. And what are these principles? First, the honoring, respect and protection for the pregnancy, throughout. Second, unless the mother die's at birth (historically the midwife adopts the child of a mother who passes during or immediately after delivery), the mother takes the lead for 5-7 years, affording a safe, nurturing, period of exploration. And finally, between 5 and 7, the father takes the lead, teaching life skill's needed for their world's. After the father has taught, then around 4 year's of semi-independence, followed when appropriate, with a coming of age, and inclusion as a man, or woman into the adult tribal structure. Tried, and true, I have seen this retained within the orthodox and devout live's of Jew's, Christian's, Hindu's and others. So, while I met Benjamin Spock, and was a best friend of Lyndon Smith (#1 Feed Your Kid's Right), both their books, which are excellent, are not book's that respect the tradition's, and benefit's of our traditional ways. Tune in today at 8 am PDT for the podcast and selected songs for the daily theme.
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