It all comes down to respecting people for who they are - their nature - and providing an environment that supports the growth and development of that person.
I think of it as nature + situation + circumstance... as in what's happening for this person in this moment and in this particular set of circumstances and how can I help to meet any needs that are being expressed.
I love the example of the two children. Been there, done that! :-)
Adults may create their environments to a greater or lesser extent (socio-economic status being an enormous limiting factor), but it's dangerous to say children do. Children are the people most at the mercy of others, in this case adults of course. No one has any control over coming into the world, and that lack of control young people have only starts to lessen as they get deep into adolescence, if they're lucky! The destruction of natural childhood has destroyed any agency children once had, and childhood trauma, an extremely widespread experience, can limit one's agency throughout life. I read your work because thoughtful writing about children is exceptionally rare in the United States, but your writing doesn't do your ideas justice. In fact, it often fights them. I'd suggest the help of an editor so you can be sure that you're clearly conveying your ideas and not inadvertently distorting or misrepresenting them.
It all comes down to respecting people for who they are - their nature - and providing an environment that supports the growth and development of that person.
I think of it as nature + situation + circumstance... as in what's happening for this person in this moment and in this particular set of circumstances and how can I help to meet any needs that are being expressed.
I love the example of the two children. Been there, done that! :-)
This is such a helpful example of how two children in a family still have different environments
Adults may create their environments to a greater or lesser extent (socio-economic status being an enormous limiting factor), but it's dangerous to say children do. Children are the people most at the mercy of others, in this case adults of course. No one has any control over coming into the world, and that lack of control young people have only starts to lessen as they get deep into adolescence, if they're lucky! The destruction of natural childhood has destroyed any agency children once had, and childhood trauma, an extremely widespread experience, can limit one's agency throughout life. I read your work because thoughtful writing about children is exceptionally rare in the United States, but your writing doesn't do your ideas justice. In fact, it often fights them. I'd suggest the help of an editor so you can be sure that you're clearly conveying your ideas and not inadvertently distorting or misrepresenting them.