Memories and thoughts about childhood
I would like to start my first blog writing a little about my own childhood. I was born in 1968. I lived my entire childhood on a little farm with my parents and my three years older brother and my one year younger sister. On our little farm we kept some sheep, rabbits, some hen and a cock. Me and my sister Maria, spent most of our time outside with our animals. We often had great adventures out in the wood behind our house. We also played a lot outside and inside the house. Different kind of role-play was a popular thing to do together with friends. Our family had a big social network and we had many friends and good adults to look up to. My own childhood was nearly perfect and I really want my own children and other children to have some of it too!
What was so perfect then and what is the most important thing for a child? Well, I can’t just choose one thing. Here in Sweden we take many things for self-evident. Fresh water, food for the day, go to school and live in peace is basal needs which unfortunately aren’t self-evident for all children in the world. But if I play with my thoughts and determine that every child in the world has those big, basal needs I mentioned before, what is most important after that?
Let’s start with LOVE. Everybody needs to be loved by someone and they need somebody to love. Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends etc are important for the child. A child needs to spend a lot of time together with their parents or other, for the child, significant people. The time families spend together has decreased mainly since I was I child. I think that’s very bad for the children. My own security is building on all the love and all time I get from specially my parents, brother and sister. If a child feels love then it will grow as a human and meet other people with love. A child who hasn’t been treated with love can’t treat others with love either.
Another experience I want to give all children is “time to just be”. I had a lot of that when I was a child. Nowadays children have so many things they must do. Many of them have play centre after school and after that different activity in the evening. With all this activities the demand on the children will increase. Many children feel stressed early in ages and some of them get stress related diseases in early ages. The adult world’s responsibility is to slow down for the children and take away most of the demands. Let the children be children and let them PLAY!
This first blog is a difficult but very interesting and really important question. As both a parent and a teacher I often think and try to do the best for the children. But what is the best? Well, I don’t really know and I wonder if anybody does? I look forward to read my friends blogs and maybe get some good advice there.
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Dear Ewa,
SvaraRaderaI agree with you that this is a difficult question! As you say, however, love is a vital ingredient in children's lives.
The structure of your text is clear, and you really adhere to "one paragraph - one unit of thought". Your first paragraph is a background with your own childhood experiences. Then, in paragraphs 2 and 3, you deal with basic needs and love respectively. Paragraph 2 also works as a kind of background, I think. In paragraph 3, however, you start to deal with problems (decrease in time spent with our children). In paragraph 4, you continue with promlems (=stress). I think it would have been interesting if you had dealt with a few more problems, e.g. lack of exercise or time spent alone in front of the computer/TV.
Paragraph 5 is your finishing paragraph, and there, it would have been nice if you had briefly summarised the things you discussed before giving a last comment. That would have given your text a more powerful finish.
As to language, you should write "woods" (plural) when you mean "forest". Think about subject-verb agreement: Fresh water,... ARE basal needs (you talk about several things there). You write: "My own security is building on all the love and all time I get from specially my parents, brother and sister." I don't think you should use the progressive there. I also wonder whether you should have used the past tense rather then the present in "get". Look up the difference between this/these, use the plural in different activities. Lastly, you say "Look forward to reading..." (§124, märk 1).
Best,
Marika
Hello
SvaraRaderaThis was a very nice blog to read, well done!
I like the way that you start your blog, explaining how you grew up. I don’t think many of us had that kind of childhood, sounds great.
The text is very well written, all the paragraphs are well connected, containing just one thought and it is easy to follow them throughout the text.
You started the blog describing your childhood, asked yourself some questions and finally gave the readers some ideas of how we can look at the problem. I liked this way of writing.
Warm wishes,
Petra
Dear Ewa...
SvaraRaderaThis was a very nice blog. I like the way you've started with discribing your own childhood and I must admit I am a bit jelouse.. I've always wanted my own farm... :)
I also like the structure of your text, starting with your own background and experience followed by what is important for children.
Love is absolutely the most important ingrediens in our lives and I totally agree with you. Especially for children, they need to feel loved from a lot of people and that they always have people to rely on in all different situations.
I think you have done a great job. The pieces of your text is long enough. It's easy to follow the main thread and you mention important things.
Well done!
Best wishes
Ulrica
Hello Ewa,
SvaraRaderaI´ve been reading your very first blog and thought it was interesting. You started with telling little about your own childhood and that caught my attention from beginning. With a smile I got a picture in my head of two small children paying around in a nice environment.
The second paragraph started with two questions and then you tried to answer them in the same paragraph and also in the next two. I could easily follow your thoughts because of the linking devices. I found three important things for a child and I think your third point is something we should talk about more. You have good arguments for your thoughts. Finally, you made a conclusion that gives the readers more questions to think about.
In your blog you have mixed your own childhood memories and your thoughts and that made the blog interesting to read. You kept to the theme all through the text and the contents was good.
I´m not the right person to give anyone advice but you know that we are supposed to it, so my only reflection while reading your blog was this – You never came back to the question of what was so perfect but at the same time it´s so clear to understand when reading your opening.
You did a great job!
Comments and
Best wishes
Birgittta