Conflict Resolution – The Adult Dilema
Entering the field of Child Development doesn’t include education on how to deal with adult co-workers or parents. It is unfortunate that the type of caregivers found in the Preschool environment range from students with anywhere from 6 units in Child Development (3 classes) to a Bachelor’s of Science Degree (20 classes). What the undereducated do not realize is that the developing mind of children is a well-researched neural science. Instead of the field attracting women and men with enthusiasm for the future of humanity through early education, it is often an arena of very immature people, often blind to the true needs of children, inclusive of parents who are also underdeveloped and remain in denial or are emotionally inept in dealing with a young mind’s developing needs, since their own emotional and academic acheivements are lacking. It may not be a huge corporate fortune 500 industry, but it should be given more credit, attention, pay, and education due to the fact that this core time of open neural windows in the mind sets up patterns for the child’s thinking, emotional abilities and self-esteem. The future is literally in the hands of Early Educators and Parents. It is not an environment of merely academic teachings. Emotional and social development is a necessary aspect in a caregivers creative thinking such as new and surprising ways of conflict resolution, critical thinking skills and inventive/creative potential.
One can easily see why conflict resolution is not often utilized. Many adults cannot solve their own problems of projection and one-upmanship, ego needs and insecurities. In staying with my theme of this blog, associating children’s needs with adult metaphoric application, we can see that adults are no better off in learning these skills then children are. Humanity is becoming more conscious of such things as controlling thoughts, meditation, enlightenment, and positive thinking. Yet, how many hypocrites are still among the so-called enlightened practitioners? People arnow using cruelty and mind games as a method of enlightenment. Funny, when you really take a moment to consider this phenomena. What is the way to respond to an outright emotional attack through mind games? Is the future one where we are to be skilled gamers? I think we might be better off as skilled mind dancers. But how?
The difference between a mind dancer and a skilled gamer is clear. One is volatile, war monger activity, be a person nija or pirate. The other is sweet movement with impressionable repose. Some parents just don’t see dancing as a powerful tool. They prefer to tell their children to punch another child in the nose if he bothers them. Dancing has a stigma of weakness and feminine-like associations. Only in America. So many other countries have power dancing in their cultural heritage. I am taking it a step further when I suggest mind dancing. Small children often reply in the following ways to academic thinking in early childhood:
“It makes my brain hurt.”
“My back is hurting.”
Where do they get commentary like this in association to learning? It is because we respond to learning through play. They like creativity and body challenges. If that is the case, then these are the areas we should work with. What does this say for adult development? It says we don’t like to think and make excuses for critical thinking. We are still using childlike responses to learning. The child says, “He’s not sharing. He took my toy.” The adult says, “I’ve been robbed.” Are we any different then we were at age 4? I will continue this thought at another time. For now I will end with a question. It boils down to ownership and robbery on all levels, whether possession of toys or possession of rights. Each cause an emotional reaction. We are generally a people at war with emotions and ownership ideals. How can you dance in your mind to win this battle in a new way? We tell the children to share.
