When the Negativity starts

Sun shine and rainbows; the world is a beautiful and amazing place offering exciting adventures and unlimited opportunities. To a young child, life is colour, bright, optimistic.

At what stage do we lose sight of the positives?

When do we stop focusing on the light, allowing our attention to flicker towards the darker corners of reality?

When does hope lean closer to a dream than our expected reality?

During our social learning stage of brain development, we learn how to interact, be empathic, understand our actions can hurt others. To treat people how you want to be treated. The golden rule per say.

But only a couple of years later, after being exposed to with those around us, the light source of our hope seems to fade. What had been so easy to acknowledge the good, becomes obscured by the perspective of others, tainting our optimistic outlook. Is it society that does this? Is it certain people hurting in their home life that share the shade that follows them out into the community?

Brief disclaimer: to point out the obvious and not upset anyone….

Yes personal experience (the child’s) and nurtured influences (inherited bias) will also heavily effect a child’s outlook on life and those around them. Children are like sponges in the way they learn, absorbing the energy from everything and everyone around them.

Now I have absolutely no false sense I am the smartest person in any room so certainly don’t want to come across like I know more than the professionals. I also don’t have the financial support and backing to create a study involving multiple schools and age groups. But after running various interactive workshops for Primary Schools, I have acknowledged that the younger students find it easier to see the good in the world and the people around them.

But how do we help our children, our future, remember and maintain the positive, optimistic outlook. Prevent the rainbows turning the sky grey? I do not have a simple answer for this question but if I had to take a stab in the dark

1) to teach resilience.

2) Prevent spreading the darkness.

If someone slowly losing hope starts blowing out everyone else’s candles of hope, then they will soon be surrounded by darkness. These people need someone who can withstand their potential bullying attempts. Be brighter and slowly bring the light back into their lives.