Mothers and Early Childhood Development

Abdullah Khan

A large volume of literature on early childhood development spells out that twenty-five percentage brain development of a child takes place before birth, seventy five percentage at the year of one, and ninety percentage at the year of three (age span may change with research models). Scientific research further clarifies that optimum formation of brain synopsis of a child completes up to the age of five. All these developments in ECD set preference to the acquired potentials in a child through mother-child bonding habits, intentions and wishes of a mother during pregnancy and hence forth. Hence, intrinsic positive attitude in mothers and creating loving and family friendly environment for them at homes during pregnancy puts ever lasting effects on the child’s ultimate personality. Napoleon said ‘Give me good mothers I will give you a good nation’.

Dr. Stephen Carr Leon says seventy percent of world trade is held by a community, with a population of 0.18 percent in Europe and less than this figure in rest of the world, with their intellect just because their efforts start gearing up human intellect from conception of the neonates. He further says that joining learning resource centers, solving puzzle games and mathematical problems and learning about child’s health, hygiene and nutrition etc. are the mandatory practices for a pregnant mother in that community.

It is believed that mothers are primary teachers of a child. While, with a conscious guess, majority of the mothers in our area are not educated on parental skills like child’ care and development, importance of vaccination, breast feeding, proper weaning diet at appropriate age, sleeping and wakening time etc. The impact of social and emotional interaction with the children at homes and in social gathering through appropriate communication and rearing skills is rare seen perception in mothers.

Though, it can be dreamt establishing centers to educate the mothers on parental skills like aforesaid community particularly in a country where Millennium Development Goals have not yet been met. However, we can tie our hope with local government that can promote a culture telling off or enticing ECD players entertaining both mothers and the children as learning participants in their ECD centres. ECD is a multispectral domain and so courses on awareness to the parents particularly mothers on health and hygiene, child’s safety and protection, and creating environment conducive for learning for a child at homes would be made an essential part of ECD curriculum.

Such an undertaking will payback in terms of eliminating ethnic and sectarian violence escalating hatred, intolerance for others and domestic violence in our beautiful Gilgit-Baltistan. This would also meant empowering communities to permanently break the cycle of poverty and join the global community as contributing citizens.

Hence, immediate interventions in early education, involving families, inclusive of peace building component in the ECD practices is imperative to change the mindset of the growing children as well as the parents preparing Gilgit-Baltistan a peaceful land for future generations.

The contributor is a student at AKU-IED.