While parents put great effort into structuring their children’s lives so they will become productive successful adults, they are neglecting a very important aspect of a child’s life. Children need to play!

I am the first one to say parenting is serious business. After all, I’m not only a mother and a grandmother, my work as an author is based on parenting as well. And like most parents, I focus on how and what my children learn, especially during their formative years. The formative years are the most important years in terms of the characteristics and traits they obtain and carry into their adult lives.

Parents place an enormous amount of energy on their children’s academic education, their social skills, and on providing a wide range of opportunities to broaden their scope of experiences to be sure they become well rounded people.

In addition, it has recently come to the attention of millions of parents who are implementing the principles of the law of attraction into their lives that it is equally important to also teach these principles to their children. They understand the benefits are enormous, the least of which being confidence, a positive mindset, and a healthy self-esteem.

Combining these important principles with a wide variety of experiences and a sound formal education, parents believe they have created the perfect recipe for their children to grow up to lead successful lives.

And by all accounts they have.

Through my work coaching parents I have become aware of the intensity by which many parents attempt to fill their children’s lives with the structured activities to accomplish this goal. I know their hearts are in the right place, they are doing what they feel is best for their children’s futures.

However, another extremely vital ingredient in raising a well rounded emotionally healthy child is being neglected…the opportunity to simply “play”.

Children are innately fun seeking, imaginative and creative creatures! Parents need to understand the crucial role “play” serves in the successful development of their children. Playing provides children with opportunities to exercise their minds in a non-structured environment, formulate ideas of their own making, and make choices without set criteria.

If every minute of a child’s day is scheduled they will learn to expect their lives to be orchestrated from outside sources without any effort or input on their part. On the other hand, when a child has “open or unscheduled” time to fill he learns to rely on his own thoughts and creativity. Children need to experience their imaginations.

Amid the daily structure of school work, homework, ballet lessons or piano lessons, and soccer or basketball practice, parents need to be sure their children have time to just be children.

Many parents make the mistake of viewing unstructured play time as a waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Children need time to create, imagine and explore according to their own internal framework.

It is during these play times they will develop their creative side which is necessary for them to eventually discover their passion. It is through these experiences they will learn about themselves and begin to connect with who they are.

They also need “down” time to just “be”. Think about how you feel at the end of a long day of doing all the things you are required to do. Then consider how you feel when you realize you have an extra couple of hours to do whatever you want…read a book, watch a television show…paint…or write the next best selling novel!

This “free” time is when you are able to re-connect with yourself and recharge your creative energy batteries. Children need this too.

Allowing your children to be children when they are children is the normal order of our development as human beings.

Robbing them of this important time is robbing them of something that can never be replaced. Your children only get one childhood…along with the best preparation for a successful adulthood, parents must also be sure they have the best childhood.

Let them play in puddles, run in the rain, climb trees, chase butterflies, build a “fort” in the living room out of the bed blankets…and sleep in it if they want to!

Let them create the experiences that will not only provide them with a childhood they will look back on with feelings of joy and happiness; it will also allow them to begin to develop important skills that they will use throughout their lives.

Once you reach your adult years there isn’t much that doesn’t fall under the “do-over” category. If you find yourself midway through your college years and decide to change your major from Psychology to English literature, it can be done. If you decide your job isn’t fulfilling…you can change jobs. Even if you come to realize that you have married the wrong person, you can get a divorce and marry someone else!

But if a child misses out on that magical time of being a child… playing, investigating, exploring and developing their creative side, it is lost forever. There is no “do-over”.

Parents must value and respect this time in their children’s lives as the treasure that it is.

They only get one childhood.

About the Author: Denny Hagel is co-author of “The Law of Attraction: The Next Generation” and co-owner of Innovative Parenting LLC, a company dedicated to helping parents teach the principles of the law of attraction to their children to provide them with the skills to live their best life! For more information and insights click on: => http://www.InnovativeParentingLLC.com

The joke because the correspondence course operated by the sending of classroom materials and even the diploma in the mail and schools generally were not officially licensed in any way. They were basically the joke of the education industry. However, the Internet has come of age more and more opportunities to get a legitimate education at home finally took root. Since this method has become increasingly established many accredited colleges have begun to take notice and then began to offer their own distance learning degrees online. And with the great weight of school name behind it, distance learning has come to life.

After the University of London awarded distance degrees in 1858, the University of South Africa followed in 1946. It was not too long after, in 1974, that Germany launched its own Open University. But it was not before that of the United Kingdom, which was founded in 1969.

Internet colleges have been criticized, most people say that these programs can not match a traditional brick and mortar college. However, it has been demonstrated that there is no significant difference between colleges and online courses. Currently, there are online college programs in almost all the topics you want to study. Associates and Masters may be obtained by participating in college programs online. Internet College is also known as distance learning, and can be very useful for people who work and who can not attend regular courses. It is also convenient for housewives, or those who can not afford tuition. Flexibility of time is a major advantage of college courses on the internet.

Asynchronous technology is useful in distance education. When the student and the teacher can not both be available simultaneously to their respective seats, the teacher must find a way to record the lesson and redistribute. CD, E-mail, video and audio recordings to help keep students on track.

You can choose to complete your training during the period of time that you’re comfortable, which is a blessing in disguise for distance learners. Some options are easy not to attend the review too. The only thing needed is a specific effort on your part to display the best options available to suit your needs.

Again, on a final note, let us remember that you can pursue higher education without taking a break in your career and get an education that competes with the normal mode of study. Sounds great! Go ahead and choose your degree. There are various websites of educational institutions that can guide you on this point. The only thing you have to do is perform a market study on all courses available and then choose the best choice for you.

Sources & more information about internet colleges, online courses and graduating early:

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You may be thinking that this is not as good as going to a real college, but you may be wrong. Online college classes give you the same college education and you receive the same accredited degrees as all colleges and traditional universities. The difference with online learning is that you do things simply in the comfort of your home. In other words, it means you get the same from an internet college as you get in a school, the more you get to manage your work and family without having to sacrifice.

Graduating online also proves to employers that you are familiar and comfortable with technology, to obtain a college degree online through the internet is generally considered more practical. Because colleges and distance education may provide training and adult education through many online university centers, online learning, correspondence courses are generally available.

College degrees do not give much progress or not you provide more opportunities, being really good at what you do goes a long way, is evident in any profession. The fact that colleges continue to hype the dream of being educated tells you what’s real.

The most important thing you can do when looking at colleges on the internet is to check if they offer accredited programs or not. The difference between a program that’s accredited and a non-accredited program is recognition. An accredited program gives you a degree you’re able to hang on the wall that means something rather than a piece of paper that means nothing.

In the traditional educational setting, teachers relay information to the student who absorbs and is tested to determine the extent to which this information is memorized. The framework is essentially classical education to promote knowledge among the student by the teacher.

In online learning, technology exists between teacher and student, making physical contact unnecessary. Internet learning involves the promotion of knowledge of a student by a teacher who is not physically present. There is no form of contact between one of them.

You will need to complete your tests and assignments on time as you see fit. Online training programs are as effective as learning programs on campus. The only thing that makes it different is the apparent lack of a teacher and more flexibility in your study schedule.

You will be able to keep your job, take care of your children, and go ahead and get your degree. You can take lessons when you want and be able to do your homework, tests, and documents on your time instead of dealing with adjusting your work schedule for your course. The best part is that you can do it all without ever leaving your house to go to school.

Internet education is now the most popular type of education in the world. It gives the student the benefit of keeping all their free time while still studying. This is very beneficial for those studying while working. Online Degrees are offered by various colleges worldwide.

You can do your homework when you have time. You can do your work in your pajamas in the morning or at night. You will be able to do your job at any time of day and you can work around your children, your work or other obligations.

You will be able to work at your own pace. Take a class, two classes or a full course load, and you’ll be able to take whatever time you want. It’s great because you may only have time for one class at a time or it may change from one session to another and you can change your schedule accordingly.

The best part is that you’ll be able to complete the course much more quickly than in a classic university or college. With an internet college, you will be able to complete a grade 2 years in approximately 16 months and 4 years degree in about 3 years. This is very useful to put you in a better career and a better life because of an online college.

Geting a degree online is also beneficial for students who have problems regarding the interaction with their classmates and other school personnel. This is because in internet colleges, there is no competition between classmates. They can not even see each other. It seems they have virtual classmates when they meet online. They can get an idea of the characteristics of their classmates through open forums in their respective websites.

One way to help the student to be sure he or she obtains an online degree that is accredited, is by checking if the university or college that offers this degree is also an accredited school. There are some popular universities and colleges that are accredited, offering accredited degrees including: University of Phoenix Online Berkeley College Online, Everest University Online, National American University, Strayer University and Kaplan University.

Some people argue that, in the future, some employers will not really take into consideration if the online degree is accredited or not. They continue to test the ability of the young candidate anyway.

Most employers and interviewers, will accept an online high school diploma or a degree from an internet college, if the document is from an accredited college. An accredited course means that the college has spent at least the minimum quality standard as agreed by legitimate educators. In addition to accreditation, the school must be in association with leading organizations dedicated to education.

Internet college does not involve tiring journeys. So it saves time and cost.

As this is an online class, everything related to your study will be available on the internet. The concept of online education offers the opportunity to study according to your own will.

Online college promotes equality in all directions. You can discuss this study with your classmates, regardless of their physical or mental characteristics. It offers the possibility of having a healthy discussion with different people from different backgrounds.

While the mode of learning, you stay in touch with new technology events and you communicate with others on the net with the updated technology.

The main advantage of this type of education system that teaches you to manage your time in a better way. You are master of your time. There are no limits upon you. While you will be able to progress according to your own will.

No restrictions: As a distance learning student, you’re not limited by time in any way. You can study whenever you want and anywhere you want. There is no set time to study, so to speak. You can easily build your programs remotely to your schedule and not worry about missing any of your normal activities.

Variety of programs: distance education have a variety of resources you can use. Thanks to the Internet, chat, instant messaging, video and other features are available for your use. These features make your program interesting and fairly simple. Basically, you will not be limited to the monotony of single medium.

Sources of information on graduating online:

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List of online high schools in each US state:

Alaska

• The Fairbanks B.E.S.T. Program

• Alaska Virtual School
• Delta Cyber School–Delta Junction
• Denali Career School–Anchorage

Arizona

• iQ Academy Arizona

• Arizona Virtual School
• Mercury Online Academy of Arizona
• Arizona Virtual Investigation School

Arkansas

• Arkansas Virtual High School

California

• Achieve Online

• Dunlap Leadership Academy
• International Virtual Learning Academy
• National University Virtual High School
• Southern California Virtual High School

Delaware

• Delaware Virtual School

Florida

• Florida Virtual School

Georgia

• Georgia Virtual School

Hawaii

• Hawaii Virtual School

Illinois

• Illinois Virtual High School

• Chicago Virtual Charter School

Kansas

• iQ Academy Kansas

• Basehor-Linwood Virtual School

Kentucky

• The Kentucky Virtual High School

Louisiana

• Louisiana Virtual School

Maryland

• Maryland Virtual High School of Science and Mathematics

• Maryland Virtual Learning/Maryland Virtual School (MVS)

Michigan

• Michigan Virtual School

• Ann Arbor Virtual School

Minnesota

• iQ Academy Minnesota

• Minnesota Center of Online Learning
• Minnesota Online High School
• Minnesota Virtual High School

Missouri

• Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MVIP)

• University of Missouri High School (MU High School)

Nevada

• Beacon Academy of Nevada

• iQ Academy Nevada
• Washoe Online Learning for the Future (WOLF)
• Nevada Virtual Academy NVVA

New Hampshire

• Virtual Learning Academy (VLA)

New Jersey

• New Jersey Virtual School (NJVS)

New York

• United Virtual Schools

North Carolina

• North Carolina Virtual Public School

• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Distance Learning Technologies

North Dakota

• North Dakota Center for Distance Education

Ohio

• Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT)

• Ohio Virtual Academy

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Virtual High School

• Oklahoma Virtual School

Oregon

• Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA)

• Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA)– North Bend, OR

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School

• Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School
• 21st Century Cyber Charter School
• Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School

South Carolina

• Palmetto State E-cademy

• Provost Academy South Carolina

Texas

• iQ Academy Texas

• Texas Virtual School

Utah

• Open High School of Utah

• Utah Electronic High School
• Utah Virtual Academy (K-12 Charter School)

Virginia

• Virginia Virtual Advanced Placement School

Washington

• Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA) — Valley, WA

• Insight School of Washington — Bellevue, WA
• Internet Academy (IA) — Federal Way, WA
• iQ Academy Washington
• Meridian Parent Partnership Program (MP3) — Bellingham, WA
• Move Up Program (MOVE) — Marysville, WA
• Okanogan Regional Learning Academy (ORLA) – Okanogan, WA
• Washington Academy of Arts & Technology (WAAT) – Yakima, WA
• Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) – DuPont, WA
• Giant Campus of Washington – Seattle, WA

West Virginia

• West Virginia Virtual School

• Salem Virtual School (SVS)

Wisconsin

• iQ Academy Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA)
• Wisconsin Virtual Learning (WVL)

More about Online Schooling:
How to Finish High School Online for Free
Finishing High School Online

Online learning has long been the domain of adult learners and college students. However, as the technology surrounding e-learning grows and more people have access to the online environment, more and more high school students choose to complete their education online. After all, what could be more convenient than finishing high school in the comfort of your own home, in front of the computer?

Requirements of Online Schooling

You must be:

* Comfortable with the Internet
* Familiar with sending and receiving e-mail
* Ready to spend some time setting up your course for the first time

Advantages of High School Online

Students will get a regular high school diploma for graduating high school online.

The great thing about learning online is flexibility: depending on the type of courses you take, most e-learners have the opportunity to customize their program and work at the speed that suits them best.

After the initial release of the computer equipment, learning tends to be much cheaper than traditional school.

Students don’t have to physically attend class or interact with classmates or teachers face to face. A student that is normally shy or reserved may feel liberated in the online environment, which makes the experience of high school easier and more useful.

Some schools have “online chat” facilities where students can communicate with each other, and/or with teachers.

Some students do not function well in traditional school settings. They may get bored with the pace, or be seeking a more individualized approach. Online schooling will enable students to meet some of their learning needs that are not met by traditional classroom methods.

Disadvantages of Online High School

It’s basically public school at home – neither student nor parent can really tailor the curriculum to suit their individual needs.

Government regulations are stricter for online schoolers than for homeschoolers. Students will probably have to take standardized tests.

Many people claim that socialization is lacking, but in reality it isn’t. It’s the same as with homeschooling – students can meet people anywhere regardless of where they go to school.

More About Socialization

Online learning is great for those who prefer to study independently, but some online learners may feel isolated from their school and other students.

One of the great things about online learning is its accessibility – you can find people from different countries who speak different languages, or just live a different kind of lifestyle.

If you are feeling lonely, look for courses that involve group learning. Make sure you get the phone numbers of some of your classmates so that you are not left relying on e-mail or instant messaging to talk to someone.

More about Online Schooling:
List of Online High Schools in US states
Finishing High School Online

Online schooling offers teens a chance to get a high school diploma outside the traditional school environment and working at a pace that suits them.

Usually during a high school education you can earn all the credits you need at home – as if you went to school in person. You will not have to worry about missing classes or some missing credits needed to complete high school and earn a diploma.

Each school manages the course differently – some are online experience akin to attending a traditional classroom, while others prefer independent learning over other methods. With the former, students must report to the virtual instruction by teachers through the computer and the Internet. Connected to a microphone, teachers speak directly to a group of students who are all part of the virtual classroom, and students respond by using a chat client. Other learning tools online, like a white board and online discussion forum can be used to demonstrate more hardware. At the same time, students also may have to buy or borrow textbooks for use in conjunction with lesson plans online.

In addition to online lessons, students have to complete their homework assignments, tests and exams, just like in the regular school – the only difference being that the assignments are submitted via email, and tests and examinations are taken online (although some schools arrange for examinations to take place at a specified date, or require a supervisor to oversee the exam).

The alternative – an online school that allows a student to work more independently – tends to provide more flexibility. You may not have to attend a class schedule online, for example, but you should expect to wade into the subject material on your own. It gives you access to courses and information, of course, but a teacher will not necessarily be there to hold your hand every step of the way. You may not fulfill the specific duties on certain due dates, but you’ll probably have to submit homework from time to time, take tests and complete a final exam.

How to choose an online high school

Choosing the right high school online involves more than simply choosing a school. When choosing an online school, try to pick an established one that is accredited.

Accreditation is conducted by an outside, independent body. These organizations must be nationally recognized. They compare all elements of the school (services, classes, teachers and administration) by the standards of performance and quality.

There are regional accrediting bodies, licensing bodies and other specialized national accreditation bodies. Although one might think that national accreditation would be the norm, regional accreditation has a reputation for the highest quality.

The accreditation process begins with the school to conduct a self-evaluation based on standards set by the accreditation body. This part of the evaluation process includes contributions by the administration, instructors and students. It is followed by an on-site inspection by a group of peers. Based on these considerations, a Board of Directors of the Office makes a decision on accreditation. The institution must then report annually on changes and events progress.

You can check the authenticity of an accreditation body by going to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) website for a list of organizations recognized as reliable by the USDE.

Whatever the certifier you end up with, you should ensure that it is a regional accrediting organization, DETC, or any other certification organization listed on CHEA.org. The only other option would be a high school that is recognized by a state department of education or public school district. Make sure it is the education department of the State and not just a business license. Most anyone can get a business license to open a school, but it requires a much higher level of recognition by the Ministry of Education in a State.

More about Online Schooling:
List of Online High Schools in US states
How to Finish High School Online for Free

Even though it is not legally required of you to contact the school district, it is very likely that you will be visited by an attendance officer. To prevent this, you can simply write a letter to the principle of the school that your child was attending stating that you are withdrawing him/her. It is best to send the letter through certified mail so that you can receive proof of delivery.

With Texas homeschooling, all you need to do is obtain a curriculum and get started. I think it is wise, however, to find local support groups to help you get started. If the school contacts you and says that you need to do more, all you need to do is go to the central office and fill out a form.

In order for you to have a legitimate Texas homeschool, you must have a curriculum that incorporates reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship. This curriculum can be obtained from any source and can include books, workbooks, other written materials, and electronics.

One of the great advantages of Texas homeschooling is the fact that you don’t have to have your curriculum approved. Homeschools in Texas are considered private schools and are not regulated by the state.

If you are developing your curriculum and you aren’t so sure about what a “study of good citizenship” is, it is basically the study of civics. If you teach your children U.S. and Texas history, government, the pledge of allegiance, and other similar activities, you will easily meet this requirement.

Texas homeschooling abides by private school attendance laws. In public school children must attend 170 days out of the 180 days per year. Because homeschools are considered to be private entities, they do not need to meet any attendance requirement. The state of Texas doesn’t regulate the number of days of hours of private schools.

Even if your child attends school at home, he/she still has the opportunity to participate in public school classes and extracurricular activities. However, due to attendance rules, your child will not be able to participate in competitions or contests.

Texas homeschooling parents also don’t have to worry about standardized testing.

Author Info:

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Source: Texas Homeschooling – What You Need To Know

With every decade that passes, new legal and civil rights have been fought for and won for every group of adults in Westernized cultures. The fight continues around the globe in order to share those legal protections with oppressed populations in other cultures. With each passing decade, there have been landmark victories won that validate the journey for adults to assert their basic human rights- In the 00′s, gay marriage was the fight that finally found victory in the United States.

However, children seem to exist in a surreal incubator; a sterile laboratory in which they are viewed and treated as if they are human beings-in-the-making, like objects waiting to be assembled, or feelingless, spiritless bodies waiting for someone to bestow humanity onto them. Decade after decade passes, and yet an industrialized child’s world always looks the same, with little more than trite hope of obtaining any real victories beyond the superficial “right” to be intoxicated consumers and technology automatons.

In 1989, The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations and later ratified by all of the UN countries except for Somalia and…Guess who? The Land of the Free, USA. However, as with most well-meaning agencies, organizations, programs, task forces, experts and documents relating to “helping” children, the UN Convention is written by adults who assume they know what is best for children. While they are accurate on many accounts, they defer to stereotype and tradition in other areas, such as their gender-biased focus on only female victims and their freedom-violating article stating that education shall be forced (“compulsory”).

In most cases in history, oppressed groups themselves decide what it is they need, what is best for them and what rights would allow them to live with liberty, happiness and freedom. However, ironically, in the case of children, their oppressors are the ones who write up the documents, form the agencies, determine the “protections”, divvy out the rights and choose the laws! Children are often offered only petty, insulting protections by “experts”, agencies and spokespeople who can only see through adult-colored glasses; the “rights” children are given by adults often double as the “right” to be oppressed, abused or exploited by adults (For example, in all 50 USA states there are child abuse protection statutes in the books. However, in all 50 states parents are allowed by law to hit, smack, belt and physically hurt children as long as no physical injury results. In half of all public schools, school staff can legally assault children with wooden boards and actually leave injuries, with criminal immunity).

Children form a large cohort of human beings- Children are people of all nationalities, colors, cultures, abilities, economic classes and of both sexes from the ages of birth to age 18. And some of us child advocates would argue that the fetus constitutes a child in need of consideration as well. Children constitute such an enormous group of people, yet this significant segment of the population lives every day in virtual slavery to adults and adult agendas, with no political power and virtually no voice for their needs, wishes, preferences and dreams beyond consumerism.

It is easy to conclude that youth are too immature, uninformed, uneducated, self-centered, confused, lazy and consumeristic to be able to articulate their needs. This is not only ignorant and stereotypical, it is disrespectful and bigoted. If we listen to children, observe children, empathize with children, show compassion to children, play with children and decode the clues and messages underneath their stereotyped behavior, children will let true advocates know their needs. If we watch the span of children’s years from birth to young adulthood and we allow ourselves to see how children react in the moment and over time to the seemingly “normal” everyday ways adults treat them, we will learn about children’s true needs. We must stop assuming that when children cry, protest, resist, oppose, withdraw, conform, fear or form symptoms of “mental illness” or “disabilities” that they need more of what made them cry, protest, resist, oppose, withdraw, conform, fear or form symptoms.

When we think of all of the major human rights movements in history, protest, resistance and outrage were some of the most common elements. Children are natural protesters and know better than anyone what they do and don’t like and what they do need and don’t need. Children, from newborns to teens, cry out, protest and attempt to fight for their basic human rights everyday, yet their protests fall on deaf, clueless ears. Parents, guardians, school teachers, school administrators, programs, professionals, psychologists, counselors, social workers, “experts”, pharmaceutical companies, lawyers, lawmakers and governments (many well-meaning) exert crushing forces of effort to quiet, oppress, ignore, muffle and stomp out the cries and protests of unhappy children every single day in our society. This is accomplished through ignorance, apathy, laws, tradition, rules, control, coercion, punishment, threat, bribe, confinement, diagnosing, medicating, “servicing”, “therapeutic” manipulation, thought and behavioral control, fear, intimidation, humiliation, shame, emotional and physical neglect, physical assault (Yes, that includes “spanking”) and in extreme cases, severe physical abuse, sexual exploitation, physical and psychological torture or even murder.

So What Should Child Advocates Do?
The most basic and critical need of all mammal children, including human children, is for a secure, deep, permanent attachment to at least one parent, either by birth or adoption. Secure attachment is the result of a parent immediatly responding to and meeting the needs of their child, in a manner that is warm, loving and compassionate. The result of secure attachment is a parent-child relationship which is loving, warm, cooperative, respectful, healthy, and which grows stronger and more reciprocal as the child grows older. The youth who is angry, depressed, anxious, acting-out, disrespectful, withdrawn, materialistic or is showing symptoms of “mental illness” is not securely attached. The youth who is more interested in buying objects than spending time with parents is not securely attached. The youth who pushes away his or her parents and usually puts peers before family is not securely attached. The youth who bullies or lacks empathy for others is not securely attached. Parents who are cold, rigid, critical, authoritarian, permissive, disrespectful, indifferent, emotionally neglectful, punitive, abusive or who in any way fail to comprehend and respond to their children’s needs cannot produce securely attached children.

The human attachment cycle is the basic mammalian blueprint for a world-wide children’s rights movement. The agenda of children’s rights advocacy should be based upon the basic physical, emotional and developmental needs of children viewed from an organic, nature-based perspective, untainted by industrialized, religious, political or financial interpretation. Any other agenda is superficial and superfluous at best. At worst any other agenda is a front to protect adult power and control over children and financial and political agendas.

Natural study of peaceful nonviolent tribal cultures as well as study of nonhuman mammals indicates clearly what our children need. This natural study may not show us what we as industrialized, busy, working, materialistic, politically motivated people wish to hear, but it will show us what true child advocacy is needed and why our children have been showing such distress for centuries. When infants cry, when children resist and when adolescents act out, they are telling their parents that they have a need that nature intended that the parents meet. In most cases, when children cry, resist and act out at all ages, they are crying out for physical and emotional connection to their parents, in whatever form is developmentally appropriate. They are letting us know they need something, that their bodies or emotions are uncomfortable. They are crying out for parents to understand that what we are doing to them or allowing someone to do to them is hurtful, painful or running against the grain of who they are (Yes, keeping children in oppressive school environments is hurting them).

The multitude of blind traditions and expectations our culture has imposed upon children have caused our children intense distress. Their behavior and actions both as children and later as adults show us the severity of this distress. These blind traditions and expectations include, but aren’t limited to: Infant-mother separation, bottle feeding, circumcision, crib sleeping, separation from a parent or extended family, punishment, coercion, control, physical punishment, “time-out”, day care, school, sitting at desks, being forced to do busywork, lack of physical activity and play time, homework, toxic peer groups, segregated age groups, TV and media addiction, junk food, materialism, diagnoses, psychiatric drugs, programs/therapies to manipulate behavior and low levels of parental affection and connection.

Infants need to be held day and night on the skin, breastfed for at least 2 and 1/2 years and allowed to share the family bed. Children of all ages need to be caressed, held, rocked, hugged, kissed and treated with empathy, warmth and tenderness. They need to be taken seriously, heard, cherished, understood and played with. They need your undivided time. They need to learn naturally from mistakes. They need strong, morally rich, compassionate modeling. They need to be protected from harmful people, harmful media and harmful influences. They need physical, intellectual and creative freedom. They need unschooling and community learning. They need free time to run, jump, play, explore, dream and invent. They need to learn in freedom, based on their own interests, dreams, passions. They need to learn in their own way, at their own pace, with their own learning style and using the resources, classes and mentors of their choosing. Children need to spend most of their time in play and increasingly as they grow older, in the community doing meaningful service. They need a diverse group of friends of multiple ages, young, old, child and adult. Above all, they need security, connection, love and compassion from their parents, families and mentors.

Children also need adult advocates who empower children to stand up for their rights. They need adult advocates who will step in to protect abused, neglected or exploited children and their best interests fiercely when children are limited by the law or by adult control to do so for themselves. Children need adult advocates who do not taint their advocacy with adult agendas and motivations; who will not twist the words “best interests” to mean what the adult wants it to mean.

We as a society need true child advocates and politicians to push for laws that truly protect children and their interests, heal the damage already done to children, and mentor and guide young adults to prevent them from passing on toxic patterns to their children. The child’s needs are society’s needs. When the child’s needs are met, when the child’s rights are established, fought for, respected and upheld, society begins to heal and becomes mentally, emotionally and socially healthy. When societies are healthy, the environment, the world and the planet begin to heal and become healthy and sustainable.

The new year, 2010, is the gateway to a critical decade. What new rights will adult groups fight for and win? Will we leave children behind for another decade, in cribs, in daycare, in joyless 1800′s-influenced school environments, with sedentary, tedious busywork? Will we leave children behind in front of TV and computer screens, engorged with sugar and fast food, overwhelmed and dulled down with fashions, gadgets and brand-names? Will we leave children behind segregated into cliques, riddled with diagnoses, drugged up with psychiatric chemicals? Will we leave children angry, sullen, depressed and disconnected from family and community? Will we continue to ignore and push aside children as if they have subhuman status while we rant and rave about our superficial political ideologies? Will we push our financial, political and ageist agendas for children under the guise of “child advocacy”? Or will we radically change the way we view and treat children, their rights and their needs?

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Press Release – Author to Offer Attachment Parenting Consultation for Parents of Children Ages 2-18 with Behavioral, Learning and Emotional Struggles