Philosophy of Child Development
My personal philosophy of Child Development is based on three core beliefs: that the social-emotional is the base of all development in children, that parents and primary caregivers hold the greatest responsibility for the development of children, and that every child must be referred to as a whole, with every child being different.
Social-Emotional Development
Erikson puts into great detail the emotional development of children, through adulthood. Taking the stand that social-emotional development of the child is the base of the development of the child, we must start with the most basic, trust verses mistrust. The social-emotional development of children is a stair-step process, with a negative and positive at each step. Completion of step is vital for the progression to the next step.
Parents and Primary Caregivers
Parents and primary caregivers play a vital role in the successful social-emotional development of children. It is their responsibility to ensure the needs of the developing child are met, in order to complete the simplest of steps, trust verses mistrust. It is the role of parents and primary caregivers to socialize children.
The Child as a Whole
Seeing a child as a whole encompasses every aspect of that child: negatives and positives, accelerations and disabilities, skills and interests. If we fail to look at the child as a whole, we fail to see truly see the child. Every aspect of the child is a unique piece of that child. Seeing and understanding every piece of the child is seeing the child as a whole.
Child Development
Child development is knowing what the whole child needs, who must meet these needs, and how to ensure these needs are met. Every child is different and will develop differently. A true understanding of child development comes when we can socialize our children through a learning-teaching process, moving helpless infant human beings who are totally egocentric to an ideal adult state of sensible compliance joined with independent imagination and resourcefulness.