'Toxic Childhood'

Book Review (by Anna Jones):

Sue’s Palmer’s book ‘Toxic Childhood’ is both refreshing and honest. It objectively considers an array of disciplines surrounding childhood and there underlying side effects. Then begins to work to collectively integrate them; and develop a clear and common goal for parents and others alike to jointly work towards, to tackle this toxic environment that children are being exposed to.

Human development is a slow nurtured process. Scientific revelation has revealed the massive amount of connections both neural and emotionally that are made in the first three years of life; enabling the young to move along the developmental continuum to be transformed into healthy civilised members of society.

For healthy emotional development the first three years are crucial, children need: love; stability; attention; positive attachment/s; time and opportunities to participate in emotionally satisfying interactions. These simple requirements are rapidly been intoxicated by a world of: technology; economic driven society; lack of human interaction; faster pace of life; poor quality childcare and unconfident parenting styles, meaning children’s development is being irrespectively damaged

Sue concludes that society as a whole needs to work collaboratively to communicate with each other; raise children’s needs to centre stage; invest in quality childcare; become a family-friendly economy and slow down the pace of life. Blame is not an issue of this book; it is about change and investing in the pivotal emotional needs of the young before it is too late and children’s holistic development spirals into an array of life long difficulties.

This book is an essential read for parents, teachers and anyone who cares about the fate of our next generation.

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