Date post: | 13-Apr-2017 |
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Encouraging Your Kids to Listen to Their Biological Needs:
Honoring Rhythms of the Body In a “Scheduled” Culture.
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One of the realities of 21st century living is that it is
increasingly more challenging for both kids and parents to fit their lives into
demanding schedules.
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Generally, schedules are imposed by such things as jobs, sports
teams , extracurricular activities and other school events . These are all forces that are outside of family
control, yet they are often obligations that need to be met.
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By nature, the demands of modern lifestyles deem it necessary to focus more on clock and calendar than on
physical needs and our internal biological rhythm.
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If you are an active member of society, it is likely that you start your day to the din of an alarm
clock, rush to a shower, eat on your way out the door, and hopefully arrive to work or school on time.
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You go through the day with tightly scheduled breaks when your boss or
teacher allows them and you eat your lunch at a time and duration that is
dictated by a clock.
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Even exercise for many, is plugged into a tight schedule, wherever it fits. It may be that
the only exercise you are able to get is when running from one scheduled event to another.
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When you have a new born baby, they are on their own biological schedule. They will let you know when they are hungry or need to be changed. Their life revolves
around eating and sleeping, and you must adapt your life to revolve
around theirs.
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New parents will always find themselves to be exhausted. Sleep
is compromised as their established patterns are
disrupted. Eventually, they will train their babies to go longer between feedings and they will
start to impose a different schedule on them.
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With this readjustment of patterns comes the beginning of teaching
your children to conform to externally imposed schedules over
biological ones.
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For most parents this is a natural and necessary transition. It is not the wrong
thing to do by any means, but it is a valuable thing to be aware of.
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The problem with teaching your children to adhere to an externally
imposed schedule is that it can lead them to ignore signals that their body sends them for remaining in balance.
This can lead to an unhealthy disconnect.
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For example, We may begin to ignore or not even recognize when we are
hungry. While our ancestors followed patterns of “grazing”
throughout the day, we find ourselves eating larger quantities of
food in scheduled sittings.
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Ultimately, our culture demands that our children adhere to specific schedules. At a certain time, for example, everyone is to be in class paying attention. This can be problematic if children grow hungry and find it difficult to concentrate. They may then overeat at lunchtime because of the
intensity of their hunger. Then they return to class feeling lethargic and find it
difficult to concentrate.
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In extreme cases, ignored body signals can turn themselves off. Ignoring body cues to eat long-term can lead to eating
disorders like obesity and anorexia.
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Similarly, participating in structured and forced exercise, only when
directed, can encourage children to ignore their naturally arising desires to
move. They may become trained to play physically only when it is a
scheduled part of an organized plan, directed by a teacher or parent. Over
time, this can lead to long -term health problems.
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Some kids will do well and even thrive with a structured schedule. Others may need more flexibility in order to succeed
and feel supported. It is your job as a parent to tune in to what your child
responds to best .
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If they are used to adhering to a tight schedule, you may find the need to help them to develop awareness around their biological needs. Help them to tune in
naturally to when their body needs food, sleep, or rest even if it is contrary to
when these things are scheduled.
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If your children seem to do well naturally at taking care of their bodies' needs outside of a structured schedule,
do what you can to support them naturally and protect their time so they
can flourish with fewer demands.
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Navigating a balance between the demands of the clock and the needs of
the body can be challenging at first. Some things are beyond your control
to change, but by tuning in and prioritizing, you will be able t find a more graceful flow for yourself and
your children.
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By honoring the wisdom of your body and making more space in the structure
of your life for biological needs to be met naturally, you will function at a
higher level and find that you and your children are living a healthier, happier
life too.