Childhood is full of moments that are waiting to become memories. The Unicef stresses on the early years of children that sets off the development of the little human being which will later shape the future.
“With every hug and kiss, with every nutritious meal and game you play, you are helping to build your baby’s brain,” says Unicef.
And here I was watching a mother and daughter play and it was just a few minutes ago when her doting father with great pride introduced me to a story narrated by her and written down for her by an adult.
The little girl’s face lightened up as her father talked and she ran up to get her story and came back to ask, “Shall I read it for you?” Of course I could not wait to hear.
“The story is about three super powers — Sunlight, Moonlight and Batman.” Interesting she thought of three superpowers and included sunlight and moonlight along with Batman, whom compared to our other super heroes has more human qualities. A child’s imagination is vast and it is inspired by her surrounding first because her life revolves around the family. In other words, it is only until she steps out of the house for education when the parents have the real opportunity to give the child the values the family represents.
Going back to our young writer, she read out as much as she felt like and then handed over to her father to complete the narration. The father obliged.
In our busy schedules it is not often that we might have all the time we really want to dedicate for the young ones in the family. I recollect Oman’s renowned Islamic scholar and life coach reminding us that it is not quantity but quality of time spent with children that matters. At times we think expensive toys might compensate for the time the child has to spend in your absence. But it need not be, as quality time could be so enriching that the child is well balanced.
As the young child went on to entertain I wondered about the sunlight, moonlight and batman. Could it be that her mother is the sunlight, and the glowing daughter under the light of the sun — the moonlight and the one who is busy protecting the ones who need it the batman— her father? What a lovely picture that would be! Besides the little one might be enchanted with the light that is generated by the sun and the moon but look at them again they are truly the superpowers — what with the sun waiting to fuel our energy and the moon that holds many secrets from gravity to tides.
Unicef has the hash tag #EarlyMomentsMatter and focuses on the most important language in the world — the baby talk. It states, “Parenting is the most important job in the world and you can practice the most important language in the world for boosting your baby’s brain.
The babytalkforparents.org actually has sessions for parents to practice just in case you need it. They explain the basics of baby talk, “Baby talk is slower and uses simpler language than regular speech. It is more melodic and attention grabbing, so try to vary your intonation. All sounds are exaggerated. Exaggerating your facial expression makes it easier.” Most importantly they note that it is all about being in the happy mode.
No matter what the parents go through it is extremely important to dedicate these moments for the child growth.
In fact it reminds me of the voice and diction class in the Mass Communication major — “Smile slightly and your voice would have a fantastic texture.” Suddenly you would be able to hear the enthusiasm in the voice. And this is especially important in radio broadcasting because there is only so much a microphone and background music can do. You are out there with just the voice even the appearance does not matter.
The magic of ‘smile’ has an impact on babies and children too. A smile from their parents make their day — so erase the frown and have a smile on your face and leave endless beautiful memories in your child’s mind. Moreover a smile has an impact on one self too. It just leaves you feeling good naturally.
And then it was time for me to say good bye to sunshine, moonlight and batman. What a beautiful day to see a young mind grow in the love of her parents!
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