Children’s Awareness Month
History of Children’s Awareness Month
June is National Children’s Awareness Month. Childhood is a critical time for all, often setting the course for an individual’s overall social, emotional, and physical health as well as economic circumstances. Young children (3-5 years of age) who receive high quality early education care see tremendous dividends later in childhood and for the rest of their lives, including: higher performance once they begin school, increased likelihood of attending college, higher lifetime earnings, and reduced likelihood of being involved in the justice system. In 2008, the United States passed U.S. Senate Resolution 644 designating National Child Awareness Month.
What is History Awareness Month?
National Children’s Awareness Month (NCAM) was first founded in the loving memory of all the children who have died violent death in America. Since then, it has evolved into something more prominent. Children’s Awareness Month has now become a time to spend nurturing and cultivating the joys and richness of childhood. This month aspires to inspire, support, and educate children while prioritizing their health and well-being.
The fact is that every child deserves to be cherished and valued and as parents, we have no greater responsibility than to instill the hope of a better tomorrow for the younger generation. This month, may we promise that we will work with our children to instill a spirit of confidence, self-esteem, and pride. Children deserve the chance to succeed, and it is up to us to help facilitate growth.
The Four Guiding Principle of NCAM
The four guiding principles of NCAM include:
1. Nurture one child: That’s all it takes to make a difference. Nurturing means more than giving your child food, shelter, and clothing. It is about building a healthy and strong emotional relationship (attachment) between you and your child. It means being the person your child can count on for comfort whether they are a fussy infant or a toddler having a temper tantrum. It means being your child’s safe base. The person they can turn to for love, safety, and security as they begin to explore the big world around them.
2. Children Are the future of Philanthropy: It is up to is to teach our children the importance of giving back. The core values of giving back can instill empathy, generosity, and acknowledging the existence and experiences of those who are different from them.
3. Actions speak louder than words: It is imperative that we remind our children that what we do has more significance than what we say.
4. Many hands make light work: By sharing our children’s goals and dreams, we can affix our forces with theirs and make difficult tasks easier.
How to Observe Children’s Awareness Month
The month of June is set aside to celebrate and focus on children. Observe this month by engaging with your child. Let children be seen and heard. Validate their feelings and explain to them the importance of support, education, love, emotional health, social health, mental health, and physical health. That may means cooking a meal together, taking a walk, reading to your children, and instilling hope for a better tomorrow. The month of June, derived from the Latin word ‘Ju-Ven-Is,’ translates to ‘youth.’ Empower your children to be aware and grow into caring youth who have the chance to lead. Encourage your youth to advocate for their needs, which will inevitably increase their self-esteem and make them more comfortable adults.
Written by: Lital Diament, LMFT, MT #56973