LLullabies and bedtime stories are some of the most tender and authentic memories that everyone retains from their childhood. But more than the meaning of the fairy tale or the litany, memory takes us back to the voice of our parents that accompanied us to sleep. What if instead of mom or dad, we had Alexa as a narrator? Would our memories be the same? Today science tells us that it is not only memories that are affected by the presence of technology in life, but also the healthy development of the baby. With the first cartoon of his column, Carolina Foundation remember how much awareness in the use of devices is a health issue and already from early childhood. And what are the effects, and risks, of careless use of the digital device on young children.
Digital and children, never a smartphone before the age of two
The same pediatricians recommend avoid smartphones and tablets before the age of two. «The harmony between parents and children is important. It affects children’s development, their symbolic capacity, social and linguistic skills. And it helps them manage problems throughout their developmental years.” As Stefania Manetti, President of the Cultural Association of Pediatricians (ACP) brings us back to the centrality of the parent-child relationship. In this relationship, the use of devices to “calm down” the child limits his ability to interact and conditions his expectations in terms of relationships and attention.
Parental responsiveness, what it is and why it is essential to train it
Manetti explains: «The ability to grasp needs and respond to signals that arrive, for example with tears, in a timely manner, with interest and affection is well described by a scientific term. And the “parental responsiveness”».
New and recent research highlights the importance of parental responsiveness in promoting children’s development. «Several studies have shown how it is possible, with good practices, stimulate and strengthen parenting», continues the ACP President. And these good practices are singing, reading, dialogue, affective interaction.
The power of “mirroring” to calm the baby
One of the most relevant aspects of parental responsiveness is contingency, that is, the ability to seize the moment responding to the child’s behavior. Among the different response methods, for example, is: Mirroring, i.e. mirroring. «While crying or laughing the child looks at himself in the mirror, that is, in the gaze of his mother and father, who capture his state of mind. And with facial and/or verbal expressions they respond appropriately”, adds Stefania Manetti.
The expert compares this dynamic to serve and returnthe “back and forth” typical of tennis. «The parent immediately collects the child’s behavior and transforms it into words and gestures that stimulate language from the first days of life», concludes the President of the Pediatric Cultural Association. The truth is that there are no shortcuts to the extraordinary effort of being a parent.
If we think about it, taking care of our children is such a great joy that it’s even worth some interrupted sleep. While Alexa can sleep peacefully.
How the Parents Online column was born
The column Parents Online it is an initiative of Carolina Foundation – Happy to sailcreated in collaboration with Stefania Manetti, President of the Cultural Association of Pediatricians ACPwith experts in the psycho-pedagogical field and with the cartoonist Simone Campana.
There Carolina Foundationborn in memory of the fourteen-year-old Carolina Picchio (the first known Italian victim of cyberbullying in Italy), is today committed to the all-round protection of minors online, with activities at national and international level of awareness-raising, training, advocacy, research and emergency response. From the Research sector, the importance of information on digital and children for caring for the health of one’s children emerged as a priority. Not only with reference to adolescents, but also to protect babies with respect to the correct and conscious use of device, which have now entered everyone’s daily life. Carolina Foundation has created various awareness and information tools for parents, all accessible from the site Minorionline.com.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED