Raising humans

It is first important to understand that "childhood" and the concept of "children" is a social construct that we have used to separate ourselves as humans into categories. Some of the reasons for doing this are good and some (many) are not so good. Broadly, this concept can be used for the genuine protection of a vulnerable group of humans but equally it promotes a "them and us" culture in which equality is not observed.

Young people, known as children (humans from birth to 21 years of age approximately), are some of the most oppressed people in our current society. Some people believe that this oppression is necessary in order to afford this group the protection they need whilst they grow and develop. They insist that we must have ultimate control over children in order to "do what is best" for them and to care for them.

We need to consider very strongly whether we are allowing our own historical ideas from our upbringing to bias our opinions about this. Looking at this is going to take a lot of reflection for society. It may hurt. Let's get started.

Human brains

Human needs

Human rights

What's the problem

Our patriarchal society has a negative impact on everyone
We have overridden our natural instincts whilst being bombarded with consumerism and capitalism
We therefore do not work with natural development and natural human practice
We constantly ignore our basic need to be a community-based species

What needs to change?

The culture around birth

Life as a human begins in the womb and birth is the first major transition in life. How humans come into the world has a huge impact on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Education, support and human rights in birth make a huge difference to the outcomes for all the humans involved. The importance of the manner of birth must be considered at the highest level.

The culture of supportng developing humans

The relationships that we have with our children whilst we love and protect them, impact everything about who they will be. Our understanding of human development, normal human behaviour and our ability to balance promoting autonomy with managing boundaries, matters to raise healthy resilient humans. Providing education and support to families for this is essential.

The culture of how we interact as humans

Creating a culture in which children are respected as autonomous and equal humans needs to be pervasive. Yes it starts in the home, in families, but it is in the rights and support provided by government, the manner in which education is provided, and the involvement we allow in societal decisions "No conversations about us, without us" is a phrase used often by the neurodivergent community. It needs to be a guiding light for creating a more equal society. We can only raise humanity together.

TOGETHER: A NETWORK FOR RAISING HUMANS

An exciting project is underway that you will find the details of here first. Do you run an organisation that has similar goals to those described above? Does your work or business seek to provide education or support to meet those goals? Or do you campaign for the rights of children and parents?

If you feel that you would like to work closely with other businesses with the common goal of improving the way our society raises humans, contact me. We intend to have a bigger impact by connecting.