Bedtime Routines & The Rabbit Who Wants to fall Asleep

Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin is a Swiss  psychologist who spent many years studying sleep and is reported to have worked diligently to get his theories put into the right order to help children fall asleep. A story in the Daily Mail recounts his journey.

According to the reports it works and works well. A father recently posted a YouTube video of what happened as he read it to his son. Many are concerned about this book however, being an Early Childhood professional I can tell you children often need help in learning to fall asleep. Anyone with a toddler can tell you they only have two speeds full speed and sleep. They can literally be running full tilt one minute and then crashed out asleep on that same floor a moment later. Because infants sleep so much it may seem to many that sleeping is an innate behavior. Many times as in the case of toddlers the body just shuts down. However, getting in bed and going to sleep is not an innate practice; children have to learn good sleeping habits.  The beauty of Dr. Ehrlin's book is not just the bedtime story itself. But, that the story teaches children how to fall asleep.

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. So, who better than a person who studies how the mind works to help teach your children to sleep. Another beloved author created a book about sleep. Dr. Seuss Sleep Book is a classic and I love it. This shows me even after all these years children need help learning to fall asleep. Actually, many adults have this problem too. Try Dr. Ehrlin's book. Perhaps you will by as in the end of Dr. Seuss's book number 99 zillion 9 billion and 4. Hear Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book read on YouTube. It is a fact many parents will need to teach their children how to fall asleep. I hope this tool called The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep  will help you to do so faster and easier.

Believe in Parenting!

Reading Is Fundamental

During the 1970's the campaign called Reading Is Fundamental, the goal of this program was to get kids reading. many you 40+ may remember LeVar Burton, talking about how important reading is in life. RIF is now according to their web page. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States

Their mission: 

To motivate young children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8.

Why is this important? One reason it is called the School to Prison Pipeline! By now I am sure you have heard the U. S. Prison system uses Third grade reading score to determine the number of prison cells which will be needed in the future. The general concern us I have heard is how can we get the prison system to change. My response to this is, WHAT! The question is we know what the issue is. How can we fix it. The answer? Make sure we get on board with RIF's mission and ensure every child can read on the Third grade level in Third grade!

Here is how we do that:

1. Every child care center in the nation gives parents who come into their program information on what they can do to improve literacy with children. Including reading in front of them, to them, and with them. W

2.  Every community programs giving clients who come to them information on local family reading centers, which help low and non-reading adults improve their skills.

3. Creating special programs which allow third graders not reading on level to get there before moving on.

4. Ensuring children I early childhood c are gaining the emotional intelligence skills needed to thrive in the early years of Elementary school.

5. Make sure we are using a variety of learning styles while teaching reading including hands-on interaction with letters.

6. Providing every school in the nation with a variety I of bilks about fiction and non-fiction topics.

These things will not help children who are older and can not. Reader need other strategies to help them. But, if we start with. These measures now we can at least stop any new cases from starting down the pipeline.

When the Authorities Cause More Harm than Good

There are times when the authorities cause more harm than is necessary. In, recent history there have been stories where children have been taken into custody and transported away from the place where their parents told them to be asin the case of the Metiv's children. Children undertheage of eight placed in hand-ifs like Patrick  and Selecia hear in Georgia. Even a nine year old arrested and taken into custody. We have gone liturgical and it is more than just people filing behaviorfrivolous lawsuits. It is the criminalization of normal childhood behavior. This is a major problem because in essence it points to the fact it is adult expectations which are the issue.

When I was growing up I was told policemen are the community helpers that help to protect us. If you have a problem you can go to them for help. I ask you after what happened tp them are these two children and many like them going to believe what I did as a child.

On this blog I have spoken a lot about aagencies whose responsibility it is to look out for child welfare overzealous attempts to protect children and actually causing more harm.

So, what needs to happen to improve these situations?

1.  We need to rrequire all public service employees (police, social workers, doctors) who may come into contact with chiodren to take a child development course.
2. School authorities should be required to take child focused conflict resolution training, every two years.
3. There needs to be a more discussions in the public discourse about proper expectations for children from ages three to seventeen.
4. We need to reverse the criminalization of children's behavior including tantrums, pranks, and immature behavior.

How does this effect parenting?

We are all in this together. Parents need to have as much knowledge and understanding about children and development as anyone.

1. Know what is acceptable for your child's age and ability level.

2. Be in monyhly contact with your child's teacher.

3. Speak up at city council meetings about police being trained on dealing with children.

Write op-ed pieces to your local paper regarding thisissues incolving school, officers, and others engaging children.

4. Create a support group for families who have been negatively affected by government interaction with children.

5. Get a local church to sponsor programs for officials to talk about any issues and suggest positive and doable solutions.

6. Encourage the increase and availability of PParent Education in your community.

7. Find a local parent educator willing to work with all to create viable options.

8. Stand up for yourself and other parents to fully and independently engage in effective parenting.

The authorities I believe mean well. However, they can see so much negative things happening in their sphere, they tend to forget the are seeinf the exceptions and not the norms. It is all of our job to remind them of this and to help them to remember.