by Meagan Spain

Created on: December 01, 2008

Children are unique in that they are all individual, they learn and grow daily, and they are constantly changing. What a child treasures today may suddenly become something that they despise tomorrow. Through all these changes and developing, children need the security of knowing that there is somewhere safe that they can turn to or someone that they can turn to. Through knowing that there is a stable place to land, they are given the opportunity to tackle the difficulties of life, to learn, and to enjoy the excitement of being a child.

Life happens and life changes. Families grow, people die, and unfortunate events happen. It is the responsibility of those raising a child to ensure that they overcome all of this to best of their ability. When a child knows that they will be fed, bathed, loved, and given the chance to play for the day, they prosper and grow. As adults, we know that there are ups and downs in life. As a child, they are learning this day by day. They may not know and understand, so all they need is a little guidance and reassurance that it will all be okay.

Imagine moving 4 states away and suddenly everything changes for you. The same thing happens to a child. The child loses their friends, their family, their home, their bedroom, and nothing is the same any more. It is the caregivers responsibility to be able to provide some sort of stability. Let the child know that you are on the same page. Talk to them, share in the experiences with them, and empathize. The child may just need to know that they are not alone. Give them something familiar, a favorite blanket, something that is treasured, or just love and understanding. The response should be the same regardless of what makes everything change for the child, whether it be the birth of a sibling, the death of a family member, or something disastrous. Children can overcome many things, you just have to provide them with the stability and opportunity to do so.

It doesn't matter what makes a child's world unstable. It is the response to it that makes all the difference. This provides the one stability that a child needs. This gives a child the strength and comfort of knowing that there is someone in their corner, no matter what happens. A safe and secure place to land gives children the treasured opportunity to learn, to prosper, to grow, and to be a child.

If the child's world is constantly unstable, the child is going to be unstable as well. The child may lose the opportunity to grow, to learn, and to be a child. Providing them with the opportunity to do so is the one constant thing that any person raising a child can do.

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