I chose this topic because I have witnessed children that are withdrawn from other young children when they engage in play or are in the same classroom. I often wonder why is that child withdrawn. Is it because of shyness or is it because the child do not feel secure in their environment? This leads me to my subtopic of researching what parents can do to enhance secure attachment in thier children.
My personal experience with this simulation process happened this past summer while having to do some classroom observation for one of my classes. I observed a little boy that was crying and clinging to his mother when she brought him into the classroom. I asked the teacher if it was his first day and she replied, "no, he has been coming here everyday since he was a baby and he does this everyday." I couldn't help but to wonder why this child was so insecure and what could his parents and caregivers do to give him the feeling of security that is needed away from his parents.
Insight that I have gained that I believe is important in first understanding what can be done to enhance secure attachment in their children is to understand that, "attachments begin to form in early infancy, solidify by age 1, and influence a person's close relationships throughout life." Children have to feel secure and safe in their environments.
If anyone have any advice or insight that might be helpful to me with this process, I would appreciate it very much and the same goes for myself in helping someone with their research.
Reference
Berger, K.S. (2009). The Developing Person Through Childhood (5th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Hi Allison, One of my students who will turn 2 this week goes into 'out-of-control' screaming at separation. I have chatted with all his care givers and there seems to be no problems at home. Within five minutes of their leaving, he has done his morning routine and is working with focus and contentment. He has an easy relationship with the teachers and his peers. He acted this way for three months at his last school. I have decided to treat it as 'habit'. We are changing the morning routine enough hopefully to catch his interest early and help re-direct his energies. We will try. I am afraid there is something we are missing but I do not know what it could be. We are trying this. I'll let you know how it goes. bobbie
ReplyDeleteThis will be a very interesting topic to research. I have often wondered this too. Personally, I do not have a lot of experience with this except for one student I had last year. Typically, he rode the bus to school and he was fine transitioning, but if his parents brought him in his whole day was off and he screamed and cried. Over the summer we working on breaking away from parents and his parents agreed to bring him to school so that we could work on it. By the end of the summer it was routine for parents to drop him off and he was happy as a clam. This leads me to think that sometimes it is a learned behavior. For some reason children feel the need to do this every time separating from their parents. However, I do feel that there is the insecure piece for a lot of children too. I can't wait to see what you find out!
ReplyDeleteAbby
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteChildren who cry when leaving their parents can be very hard for the child as well as the parent. I have experence this many times in my years of experence in day care. I have found that finding something that child is look forword to and having it ready for them when they come into the room has helped but not in all children. Sometimes you may have to change things until you find something that works. I love this topic I can not wait until I read your research.
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteThe topic of early childhood and the implications of attachment is a great topic. I agree with you that the bonds we make with our immidiate caregivers set the stage for later achievements developmentally. I do believe that sometimes it is hard to tell if a secure attachement issue is at hand or simply part of a child's personality. Do you find that talking with parents about observing insecure attachements is a challenge? I face this issue often in my role working with children and families and often, parents are very quick to be on the defensive on this issue. Thanks for your post and I look forward to learning more!
~Vanessa