Raising Children With Roots, Rights, & Responsibilities

Parent Education Handout #2c

Reaching Our Fullest Potential Through Understanding and Integrating Aspects of the Human Experience

Aspects of the Human Experience (Stem of the Daisy)

* Life Cycle: A person’s stage of development affects his or her unique view of life. For example, a six month old baby, a three-year-old, a sixteen-year-old, a seventy-two-year-old all approach life in a different way. Keeping this in mind helps us understand others.
* Sense of Time and Space: Where and when we live in the world affects our viewpoint. For example, life in the first decade of the 21st Century is different than it was in 1965 or in 1922 or will be in 2039. Life in each different time gives the person living there a unique view, just as life in different countries and at different socioeconomic levels gives a variety of viewpoints.
* Role or Purpose in Life: Our role in life affects our viewpoint. Children’s role in their family, class, and the larger society affects their approach to the world.

Additional Aspects (Petals of the Daisy)

1. Connection with nature and the environment (the ability to commune with the earth);
2. Connection with higher power/spirituality (sense of values);
3. Communicative expression (use of symbols);
4. Aesthetic response (appreciation, learning and experiencing the arts, music, nature);
5. Creative expression (the act and process of creation, tapping into the internal wellspring);
6. Physical nature (experiences that enhance physiological well-being like overcoming physical challenges);
7. Emotional nature (being in tune with your feelings, increasing heart capacity);
8. Use of intellect (memory, cognition, reasoning skills);
9. Sense of belonging in groups, family, or institutions (fellowship in family, religious organizations, and the like).

Why the Daisy?

* Daisies are one of the most common flowers grown in our country. We see them everywhere. Because they are so common, we often overlook the daisy’s beauty and significance.
* Daisies are symbolic of people. Like people, each daisy is unique. No two are created exactly alike, even through at first glance they may seem the same. Each daisy is different, yet each shares commonality with all other daisies. Daisies come in many varieties and sizes, just like people do.
* Daisies are symbolic of daily life. The everyday experiences that include simple joys and simple pleasures provide the most vital and profound experiences of life. So often we are in search of the “rose experience” that we overlook the daisies within our reach. In other words, we desire “peak experiences” and forget the value and beauty of daily life.
* Daisies are like children. They are brought into the world by a tiny seed, yet need water and sunshine to grow. We, as parents, are the water and sunshine for our children. Without our nurturing, a child’s spirit for life and learning will be weak. In the first five years of our child’s life, we need to give them the greatest foundation of growth, so they will be prepared for the years to come.