For over three years with this particular blog, I have been feeling much like Mary Poppins popping in and out with nanny jobs, ceiling tea parties, chalk paintings, and chimney sweep roof dancing posting similarly fragmented and cryptic bits of wisdom, having some fun in-between but trying to make a dent in the vast deluge of ACE’s (adverse childhood experiences), developmental stages, sage parental advice, playful interactions but not wanting Mr. and Mrs. Banks to chalk these posts up for yet another silly escapade with absolute no worth. (Especially when there are billions of parental advice wind storms all over the world)
In these three years I have shifted from a solid child advocate symbolic of Mary Poppins, to gaining an army of research and backing support to show that the character, Mary, was actually doing critical work for human beings to flourish spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally including the underlying symbolic meaning of the song, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…”
In the past three years I am now a Columbia University graduate in clinical psychology, and currently in a post graduate fellowship at U-Mass medical school to become an expert in infant mental health. My studies have included child developmental psychology and psychopathology, women’s health including the perinatal time frame, the mother/child matrix, spirit mind body and social emotional learning, positive psychology, trauma research and soon will include in this big bag of tricks, a clinical mental health degree with an emphasis on expressive arts. I have been led by God in my long-time quest to advocate for children, also with a past masters in early childhood/childhood education and a bachelors in art education. This is not bragging but a very serious quest to stand for children and their childhood and I don’t wish for this blog to be a chalk drawing of animated ideas but real live researched realizations about how to help children experience the one thing they can never get back; a childhood which helps them grow to be the very best they can be. I want to drop in with diverse colors of wisdom with attachment, respect, and reverence as the core with their parents as the most important contributor for their success. Of course this may seem a a fantasy, much like the Disney movie Mary Poppins, because life in actuality hurts, is very messy, and far from perfect. She knew this too. But parents don’t know what’s going on in the current or even past research in psychology talking about them and backing and supporting this ominous job of parenting children. There is much chatter and amazing things coming to fruition for good. That is the key; good for the children!
I hope you come along for the ride in further posts in hopes your child/children can feel as safe and secure as they possibly can by the love only Mr. and Mrs. Banks can give; it is a deep and significant bond that has power you will never believe possible. Do you know why Mary Poppins left at the end of the movie? Because she changed the focus to the family as the most critical buffering force for childhood. That is what this blog is all about.
Only One Childhood 