Children are the future, and we need to invest in them both now and in the future. Research about different effects on children and how their sense of identity develops is changing. There can be many things that contribute to a child's happiness, but it really starts with the parents. Parents should be using all of their energy to make them feel loved, cherished, and well-equipped for life - because without that, no child has a high chance for success or robust mental health.
Even as a child, there are various aspects of our identity that need to be developed and nurtured. The sense of achievement and understanding of the value their individuality can provide, how to use their skills but also the perils that may come with this responsibility. And this is something parents should be aware of!
Life as a child is something that can only be described as beautiful sunshine. Except when it’s not. Sometimes there are storms, and children must have time to feel safe enough to enjoy the warmth. The truth is in little children's lives too much happens - they are the center of attention, they experience things through the eyes of discovery and wonder... so both sunny days and less pleasant experiences cannot go unnoticed. For parents to understand what their child needs for identity isn’t about pretending that these events never happened, it's about being sincerely interested in listening and understanding what their child has experienced. Deborah Goldstein wrote an article on Identity–one she aptly titled “The Vital Vulnerability of Childhood” It dissected how differently children inhabit their realities than adults do.
Watching Quentin Blake’s “The Selfish Giant”, children understand the perfect sense of what it means to be selfless. Understanding their true nature and listening to others are ways in which they can grow up as kind and sensitive adults. Children these days are growing up faster than ever so they have to be very critical in their approach to some of the things that seem easily appealing in order to manage our rapid-paced world.
Children need to assess who they are by developing their sense of self and identity. In doing so, they will set a wider berth in the world, which can often be disorientating and confusing. From a virtue perspective, this could be seen as the children's good judgment and power of discernment as they need to identify what makes them happy or unhappy. Children's sense of identity is perplexing to navigate. They go through many stages when deciphering their own self-worth while striving for coherent thoughts. Children's ability to assess who they are arises from cultivating an awareness of any mishaps that may have happened- in addition to experiencing life events like seeing the world from a new perspective or undertaking different attitudes. Innovative mindsets help foster an innovative sense of identity (either individually or collectively).
Children by nature want to explore and learn. They are born with the intention to be innovative minds. A lot of information, ideas, and knowledge are making their way into the hands of young children these days that are becoming their reality. As parents, we have an opportunity to foster a healthy perception of identity in our children. Identity develops from interactions with people and things, from influencing perceptions of diversity, through reactions and creativity towards society in order to find out who they are and what they can do in this world full of limitless options for success. Managing reckless minds to think intelligently with sensible insights will help them understand what’s good or bad for them in future ways that one can’t even imagine right now!
