Thanks, Tony for sharing this lovely and quite impressive video. It's got quite a lot of information. Peek a boo which we sometimes call hide and seek in my area means a lot in our day-to-day relationship with our children. Molly has beautifully described its effect in the early years of a child. It even matters throughout childhood. The availability of an adult
to guide, interact, and connect with a child at home, at school or in the community is essential.
Parental absence can really be stressful for a child, but the magnitude of its consequence depends on the age and the available alternative. The present-day parent, especially, the working parent, scarcely has time to give sufficient attention to the children.
Everyone is busy with one digital or electronic device or another, trying to catch up with the outside world, neglecting the immediate environment.
We, adults, need to be constantly reminded of the importance of those 5 things Molly mentioned that mattered - Connectivity, Talking, Playing, Healthy home and Community. We need a breakdown of how to ensure those 5 things are done.
Indeed, this is a talk worth sharing with parents at every opportunity, both fathers and mothers. This may also matter in the life of the lonely adolescent which was shared on this platform earlier.
Regards,
Thecla
Thecla Ezeonu is a Community Pediatrician working with the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria, and is also a Senior Lecturer with the Ebonyi State University and teaches Pediatrics for the medical school. Special interest is on the School Health Programme, which is currently neglected in Nigeria, but is an essential agent for positive societal change.
ctezeonu AT gmail.com