“I’m not good enough. I’m dumb” was the three-year-old’s answer when the teacher at his child care center asked why he didn’t want to join in the next activity with his classmates. He had drifted to the back of the room as the other children gleefully lined up for the chance to hit a ball with a bat.
As the NBA season drew to an end and the playoff games began, this community was passionate about its “Believe Memphis” attitude as we shook our growl towels and shook our opponents’ confidence. But it also made us wonder: What if we channeled our inner Tony Allen to cheer on parents as they work hard to ensure the positive emotional and social development of their children?
A recent newspaper headline heralded budget meetings between the Shelby County Board of Commissioners and Shelby County Schools officials, but the real headline for us was at the bottom of the story.
Self-control is a skill all children need to learn in order to fit into and function successfully in society. When a child is able to control his impulses and modify his behavior when necessary, he tends to have better critical thinking skills, to be more ready for school, and to have better relationships later in life. Children may seem to show a complete lack of self-control, but they are learning early self-regulation skills that form the basis for later self-control.
When Memphis police officers answered a complaint call about loud crying babies, they could hear them as soon as they got out of their patrol car.
Just like Barry White said in his 1974 hit, babies "Can't get enough of your love." The more attention and affection your infant receives, the more likely he is to grow into a well-adjusted child and adult. In order to reach his potential, he needs all the love you can give him.