814-Umcaster Farming, Saturday, May 25,1985
“Please do not disturb! ”
The big sign on the bedroom door
may make parents wonder if this is
a new form of rebellion a
barricade to keep them out.
It is not unusual for grade school
children to seek some time to be
alone,, according to Growing Up,
the child development newsletter
for school age children. In fact, it is
a healthy sign. This tune of
solitude serves many purposes.
Information overload
There is such a wealth of new
information being passed on to a
child in school that some tune is
needed to integrate all of it.
A child whose mind has been
bombarded with new information
needs periods of quiet to make
those things her own. Otherwise,
new knowledge remains super
ficial and may soon be forgotten.
Emotional stability
Preteens and teenagers,
especially, are pulled in many
different directions by their
emotions. At one moment they
think they can handle the
responsibilities of adulthood. The
next moment they do something
that reminds them they are still
children. They need time to fit both
parts of their personalities
together.
Self-identity
“Who am I?” “Who do I want to
be?” A young person needs
solitude to ponder her own in
dividual strengths and
weaknesses. She also needs time to
dream new dreams about who she
might become.
Personal pride
Every young person needs time
alone to do whatever she enjoys
doing. It may be practicing a
particular athletic skill or playing
the piano. Too often parents rush in
to give their applause or “show
off” their child to friends. The
child, however, may prefer to be
MEDIA - Two- and three-year
old children are sometimes
described as 3-T, terrible,
troublesome and talkative. Living
with an emerging preschooler is a
challenge, says Extension Home
Economist Greta C. Vairo. She
offers several suggestions for
parents to keep in mind during this
stage of development.
A two or three year old can do
more than just walk. The child can
now climb, open, close, drop, push,
pull, hold and let go. The child’s
growing muscle and motor
abilities, along with developing
mental capabilities, enable him or
her to explore the environment
more fully.
The child is very eager to use
these new skills and may use them
over and over again, sometimes to
the dismay of the parent who has
not yet adjusted to the child’s
mobility and sense of adventure.
At this time the parent must
become more aware of safety
hazards in the home, because the
child has no sense of anticipating
danger or recognizing the con
sequences of his actions.
Parents must also recognize that
Kids need time alone too
alone to enjoy the self-satisfaction
she gains from her own efforts.
The lonely child
There is, of course, the extreme Parents are usually the first to
of always wanting to be alone that detect the problem and should
may be a sign of loneliness, discuss it with their child. If the
Frequently this problem of problem persists, parents may
withdrawn behavior may not be want to seek professional help to
detected m school, since the quiet fiend out why the child is lonely
child rarely gets the teacher’s and withdrawn.
Tips for
parents with emerging preschoolers
the young child needs to use these
new skills at his own pace and in
his own time. If the child is allowed
and encouraged to do things, he
develops the feeling that he is able
to control his body, his muscles, his
whole self and Ms environment.
Some experts maintain that if the
child does not develop this sense of
control, he will develop a sense of
shame and doubt. This feeling may
occur when parents become im
patient and do for the child what
she can do for herself. This
situation is permissible once in a
wMle, but problems may arise
when parents rush in too often. An
overprotective and constantly
critical parent may cause the child
to feel shame and doubt about his
own abilities.
Parents must also make ad
justments during this tune. The
docile, smiling, consistently eager
to-cuddle cMld is gone, replaced by
a much more active one. This
change puts a great deal of stress
on some parents as demonstrated
by the high rate of child abuse
during tMs stage of development.
Parents will be better able to
cope if they recognize that the
child is a normal person. One thing
attention. If the child chooses to sit
alone in the school cafeteria every
day, no one may notice.
parents can do is to encourage the
child to do dozens of little jobs
around the home. In this way, the
child and the parent will not be
meeting head on. The child will
develop a sense of control, a sense
of being able to do things, and an
assurance that the parents
acknowledge his abilities.
While encouragement is im
portant, the parents will still need
to allot time for the child and to
exercise the necessary patience
with him or her. Parents may need
to consider their own lives, too.
Because time is given so liberally
to the young son or daughter,
parents may have to make an
effort to reserve a certain amount
of tune for themselves.
3
JLA
TAKING THE FEAR
OUT OF FIRE
Chills went up and down my
spine the other night 3 the
screaming sounds of the fire sirens
were heard racing down the street.
“Would they get there in time?”
and “Was everyone out of the
house?” were questions running
through my mind. Thanks to our
volunteer fire company the family
was OK and the fire damage was
minimized.
Home fires always remind me of
an experience when I was younger
and “back home.” I remember
waking up one night to hear my
dad yelling, “Great scott, Bill’s
house is on fire!” Bill lived in a
little shack on the property at the
end of our long farm lane. I
remember Dad racing out in the
truck and the flames engulfing the
house. Bill had been rescued but
the house was gone. I remember
this prompted discussion in our
family of how we would get out of
our bedrooms if there ever was a
fire.
Fire is a big hazard for pre
schoolers. Children under age five
comprise seven percent of the
American population but account
for 17 percent of all fire deaths.
Case studies indicate that
thousands of these injuries and
deaths could have been prevented
if the children had been taught a
few basic concepts about fire and
burn safety.
Taking the fear out of fire may
be an important step in preparing
your children for a fire in your
home. A first step is to discuss with
the child what to do and where lb
go in case there is a fire in the
home.
Fire drills will reinforce this
knowledge any may help prevent
panic. Some professionals en
courage their preschoolers to keep
shouting “fire” until they have
made their way out of the smoke
filled room. This makes it easier
for the parent or firefighter to find
the child if he or she cannot get out.
Another concept that can easily
By Michelle S. Rodgers
Berks Extension
Home Economist
be taught is to “keep low” in case
of fire. Smoke and toxic gases are
more often the cause of death in a
fire than burns from flames.
Because of this, it is important to
move out of the burning building
with your head under the smoke.
Smoke tends to rise, making it
easier to breathe closer to the
floor.
Older children and adults should
crawl close to the floor to avoid
smoke inhalation. Since
preschoolers are small in size,
bending low under the smoke is
recommended as a safe, fast way
for this age group to exit a burning
building.
Another important lesson that
can be taught to preschoolers is
what to do if their clothes catch on
fire. Parents can teach that there
are three things to do right away if
their clothes catch on Sire. The
child should stop where he is and
drop to the ground with his hands
over his face, and roll over and
over until the fire is out. Have a
mini-drill where you demonstrate
Stop, Drop and Roll and practice it
together.
Probably the simplest fire
prevention measures include a
smoke detector (with an active
battery) and “Tot Finder” decals
for windows in your child’s
bedroom.
By explaining fire safety to your
Children, you are taking the panic
out of fire. The creators of Sesame
Street have prepared an excellent
resource for parents and preschool
teachers to make this important
subject less threatening to young
children. The booklet includes
poems, songs, skits, activities and
even a record. The “Fire Safety
Resource Book” may be obtained
by writing: Children’s Television
Workshop, Community Education
Service Division, Department FS,
One Lincoln Plaza, New York, New
York 10023. The cost is $1 plus
postage.
Remember, the child’s life you
save may be your own!
Peon State is an affirmative action equal
opportunity employer
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