When a child is restless and fussy before going to bed, besides singing little songs, reading stories is an excellent way to prepare the child to relax peacefully and sleep deeply. Although reading to a child before bed is probably the most important gift a parent can give a child, it is particularly important for the responsive child. They hunger to hear stories, myths, and legends. They need the stimulation of faraway places, people, and things.
Children live in a magical world until they are about nine years old. Already society is rushing them to wake up and experience the real world. Parents should not worry. Let your child take time to develop and he or she will easily adapt to the real world when ready. Until they are about seven years old, children do not even have the capacity for logic, and they cannot comprehend an abstract thought until age thirteen.
Let your child take time to develop and he or she will easily adapt to the real world when ready.
When children hear on the news that there is a killer on the loose, they assume they are in danger just as everyone else is. Using logic to minimize these fears doesn’t work. It doesn’t work to say, “Well we have a safe neighborhood and so you are safe.” Magical thinking requires magical solutions. Saying a prayer for your child’s safety will do the trick. If you don’t pray, then wave a magic wand to reassure your child that he or she is protected. To minimize resistance it is best not to allow children hear or watch the news up to the age of seven.
By hearing stories, children are easily distracted from life’s burdens. Children use images created by hearing stories to develop their imagination, creativity, and a stronger sense of self. Successful people have the sense that they create their lives, while less successful people feel more victimized or tossed around by life’s challenges and setbacks. Through increased imagination and creativity, a child is better prepared to solve problems later in life.
Responsive and sensitive children tend to be more at effect already. By creating their own inner pictures in response to stories, children develop a stronger sense of themselves and their ability to create, and will naturally feel in life more “at cause.” Too much watching TV or movies can weaken this process of creating internal pictures.