Butler-Jones – setting healthy trajectories  

Well basically at every point there are different paths that we can take and choices that either we make or things that happen to us that can set us in one direction or another, and that starts right from before birth. If my mom drink alcohol during pregnancy to the point where I have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, I will have tremendous challenges in terms of attention deficit, in terms of decision making etcetera throughout my life. So the only way to address that, I mean we can help to steer back on a positive course with a lot of structure and supports and other things, but if we can prevent the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, then already you’re in a better position. 

Same for early stages when the brain is forming, when different body parts are developing etcetera, not being exposed to tobacco smoke, having adequate nutrition in the micronutrients that we need, having a stimulating environment so that our vision is developing, so you know, just even the fact of having visuals like mobiles in the crib and people talking to you and engaging you and you’re moving and working, all of that sets you on one course. Whereas if you just leave a baby in a crib and ignore them, and if you give them apple juice or pop or whatever in a bottle before they go to bed, their teeth rot out, they can’t get as good nutrition, I mean it’s, again, they’re all small decisions in a way but when they add up, and then at each point it’s understanding that if we’ve got off course how we can correct course. 

Some things we can treat, but not everything we can treat. Some things we can mitigate or reduce the impact, but not everything, so that way thinking back to those root causes; the root problems, and trying to improve that trajectory from the beginning is absolutely critical, and it’s not that as parents we need to beat ourselves up because we all do, you know, it’s a learning experience. You’re first kid is different than your second and your third, but if you do the best you can the reassuring thing is that by in large kids are pretty resilient, but if you throw everything at them, they’re going to struggle. But, you know, one day you yelled a little too loud, you know, they’ll get over it, especially if they’re in a loving caring environment. 

It’s really about finding a balance, and we actually grow with our kids. Kids are not the future, they’re today. They’re the present . They’re an important part of our society. They’re an important part of our learning and our growing ourselves as we see kids, as kids ask us questions, and we explore ideas. Things we never would have thought about other than hearing that question even. Plus the way in which they enrich our lives. So they’re not just the future, they are the present, and I think that’s one of the big challenges often in policy and education, it’s often as if they’re these empty vessels we’re going to fill up and create them. No, they are part of the dynamic society of today and we need to respect them for that, and they actually, my observation is they often know a lot more than we give them credit for, and are much wiser, much wiser than we give them credit for.