90% of a child’s brain is developed by age five.
Up to that point, every interaction they have is building the scaffolding of their brain. We need to ensure that the scaffold is strong and resilient.
Children make up one third of our global population. They all arrive on the planet as innocent and vulnerable beings. Our job is to see that they are safe, seen, soothed, and secure. When these criteria are met, children are built to thrive. To build a compassionate world, we must first accept our duty to protect and nurture children.
Essential Reading
Books on Children and Early Years
Historic bias
For many centuries, political and economic systems failed to properly recognize the needs and interests of young people.
In many states, their rights were limited or non-existent – leading to their enforced labor, separation from families, and routine abuse. Sweden was the first country to ban physical abuse against children – as late as 1979. Surgeries were performed on children without pain relief until the end of the 1980s and it wasn’t the 1990s that the field of psychology began to really understand the unique mental health needs of young people.
While progress is being made, millions of children across the world continue to find that their basic rights are being denied.
