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“These are important. One should never undermine good nutrition,” says Dr Azam.
Right and left brain
As for using both the right and left brain, Dr Azam explains that there are studies to show that the right brain is more involved in creative thinking and the left brain is more involved in logic thinking.
“The brain is like an organ or a muscle. It can be trained to be used in a certain fashion. If you are always training your brain in a logical manner, then you tend to use your left brain more. But, if you are a bit more on the creative side, then your right brain is more dominant. But, this is all training and there are also ways or mechanisms to make sure that both sides are being trained. This is where you have all these developmental programmes where they train the right and left brain brain. I don't think it is actually a myth. I think it is a way to help to create the child's thinking,” says Dr Azam.
However, he warns against being too rigid when trying to be creative. For example, if a child is allowed to paint freely – he is using his right brain. However, when the child is sent for art classes and taught the “right” way to paint … then that would be using the left brain more!
The same goes for those rigid and highly-repetitive piano lessons. While you think you're sending your child for a creative class, your child would be using more of the left brain than his right!
TV and videogames
Dr Azam doesn't believe in over-stimulating young children with TV exposure. According to him, in France, baby television and educational television have been banned because it is believed that children who watch too much television tend to have communication problems and it reduces their intelligence potential.
“In my opinion, they shouldn't watch TV under the age of two. It's not good for them. I may not have the studies to show it, but I think that's one of the main reasons why more children today are a bit slow with their speech development. I feel that a lot of children now have issues with what we call mild autism.
“What happens is the parents are working and the maid is looking after two or three other children. So, they switch on the television and the child watches from morning till night. Even their meals are taken in front of the TV. At the end of the day, there's a bit of interaction with the parents. What kind of social development can there be? Again, the child learns from what he or she sees and so they mimic what they see on television.
“What is more interesting now is that you will notice there are a lot of younger children who speak with an American accent. It is because this what they hear and see,” says Dr Azam.
He explains that the TV only gives one aspect of stimulation; there is no touch and no interaction.
This can result in the child not developing as well socially and being a bit slow in communicating. Parents' desire for an instant diagnosis and solution can lead to the child being misdiagnosed and even labelled wrongly. The labels include “autistic,” “dyslexic,” and even “ADHD child.”
“This is what I feel sad about – society is in too big a hurry to label a child. It's like we can't wait and give the child a chance to develop.
“I think this is something that a lot of parents should learn – not to be so quick to label their kids as dyslexic or autistic or having ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). I've seen parents coming in with their two or three year old claiming their child has ADHD. It's too soon and it's very frightening the way things are going,” he adds.
He warns against over-exposure to videogames, as well. With so much movement, colour and excitement, videogames are so exciting to the child that school in comparison becomes boring. This, he says, creates inattention in the child.
Dr Azam recommends parents cut down on their children's videogaming and television time and spend more time with nature, instead.
“Chances are they will be more attentive in school,” he says.
Giving kids time to develop
Patience is a virtue that parents need to have. Sometimes they're in such a hurry for their child to learn and grow smarter that they don't give the child time to develop.
Dr Azam gives the example of a child at birth and one at 12 months old – the difference is tremendous. A newborn sleeps and drinks milk. A 12-month-old can interact and start communicating. Similarly, children born in January and December of the same year are going to be at different stages of development.
“What happens to the children who are born in December when they are put in the same class as those who are born in January? Even though you may think there is no difference at all, obviously there is some difference in the maturity of the child.
“So, there might be issues with that which are not being looked into. Maybe, children born early in the year tend to be able to understand things better, concentrate better and achieve things better.
“Whereas those who are born in December may be more slacking in a lot of things that they do. That's why there are some studies to show that children who are born in the first six months, from January to June, tend to do better in class compared to those born at the tail-end of the year,” says Dr Azam.
He also emphasises that all children learn differently.
“This is something parents must understand and look into. Some people are more into words; some are into numbers; some learn through pictures; and some through reading.
“So, parents need to evaluate how the child functions, what makes them tick, and use that to increase their potential.
“And, that is where a lot of education systems fail because this doesn't happen,” says Dr Azam.
He emphasises the need to nurture the child's curiosity and sense of exploration from a young age.
“That's important. A child's brain is like a sponge – it absorbs everything. So, it is important for you to nurture that curiosity. They also have an ability to imprint information – they look at things and they learn from it. In fact, they learn a lot from just observing their parents and family members.
“That is the reason why parents need to be good role models. You must be good role models because the child will learn from you. Whatever you are doing, they will do the exact thing.
“You may tell a child not to smoke. But if the father and mother are puffing away, the child will learn that smoking is not bad.
“This is a very strong mechanism of learning. They tend to learn by what's going on around them.
“Yes, you need to expose them to their surroundings and show them things but you also need to be very careful about what kind of exposure you give to your child,” he warns.
Conclusion
Everything interplays but nobody can give you an exact figure of how much comes from genes, nutrition, stimulation and the environment.
What can one do then?
“Optimise everything. Make sure everything is being looked into and optimised to make sure that the child achieves his fullest potential.
“At the end of the day, it's about just doing enough, and not doing things excessively. It's all about the yin and yang – having a balance. Having DHA is good but if I feed my child a lot of DHA, it might be detrimental. Taking Vitamin C is okay but if I give 20 tablets of Vitamin C to my child it's not good because it can cause problems. So, it's all about the balance.
“The question is: What is the balance? Nobody can give you a direct number to it. This is something that we are still trying to find out.
“The only recipe I would give for making your kids smarter is to eat healthy food, make sure that you give the good fat rather than the bad fat. What foods have the good fats? Those with Omega-3, not the polyunsaturated ones.
“Make sure they get enough vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Make sure that they get enough iron in their food because iron is important for the development of the brain.
“Avoid things that are not natural like processed foods and colourings in your foods. Then there is also the environmental issues and getting proper stimulation, and exposing the child to the right things.
“This is the best advice that one can actually give to making kids smarter,” he concludes.
Sumber : http://parenthots.com
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Highlight:
1. Berikan anak-anak kita makanan yg sihat, dari dlm kandungan lagi..avoid, maggie, jajan, gula2, makanan yg telah diproses dll yg kita sendiri tahu kurang sihat..sekali sekala takpe kot..uhuk!
2. Elak2 kan TV, komputer, ipad, phone (dan sengankatan dgnnya) yg mengundang keasyikkan kanak2 ini. Ye, Sarah, Haziq, Hafiy , NO TV! NO COMPUTER! on school day. Go for natural, main tanah, main air, kenkadang main air hujan pun ibu kasi...alhamdulillah, tak demam pulak. Berkat susu ibu kot ekekekek....So far so good..
3. Giving kids time to develop, ye beri masa...
1.Setiap pagi, sebelum pergi sekolah, anda berdiri di belakang anak dan kedua-duanya (anak dan ibu atau bapa) menghadap kiblat.
2.Letakkan kedua-dua telapak tangan ibu/ayah yang dirapatkan atas kepala anak tanpa sentuh kepala lebih kurang 1 inci dari rambut.
3. Bacakan al Fatihah dan Alam-nash-rah... hingga habis.
4. Niat dalam hati mohon pada Allah: "Ya Allah permudahkanlah anak aku ini untuk belajar dan diterangkan hati, lembutkan hati dan ditetapkan iman dan mohon anak aku ini mendengar cakap ibu bapanya".
5. Kucup dahi anak dan biarkan dia pergi ke sekolah. Telapak tangan anda (ibu/bapa) ada aura dan gunakannya sebaik-baiknya.
By Carolyn Hax
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Carolyn:
Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .
Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.
Tacoma, Wash.
Relax and enjoy. You're funny.
Or you're lying about having friends with kids.
Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.
Internet searches?
I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.
So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.