Sharing Memories Sets Children on the Path to Better Well-being
To explore the relationships between reminiscing and the well-being of children, the researchers divided mothers into two groups. One group received no training and the other group of mothers received training in elaborative reminiscing for a year. Elaborative reminiscing involves open and responsive conversations with young children about every day past events, such as feeding ducks at the park.
Project lead Professor Elaine Reese, of the Department of Psychology, says adolescents whose mothers had participated in the earlier coaching sessions narrated difficult events from their lives, such as parental divorce or cyber-bullying, with more insight into how the experience had shaped them as people. Elaborative reminiscing taught children how to have open discussions about past feelings when they're no longer in the heat of the moment.
What I have learned from the article:
- Early childhood is the ideal time for starting to have positive conversations that can make a difference in a child's life as they grow older.
- Children benefit from their parents' elaborative reminiscing by developing more complete, specific, and accurate memories of their experiences, which facilitates the formation of their identities in adolescence.
Read the complete article here
💬 What do you think about the findings of this study? Can you see other ways how reminiscing could be beneficial?
#up-bringing #parenting #well-being
@globalBraid3744 I definitely agree with the findings of this study! We develop so rapidly in childhood that it is important to make sure we are helping our children to develop correctly and doing things to help them have a strong mind! I think reminiscing can really build that relationship you have with your family by recalling the good times! I think it would help set that foundation for a strong relationship to last for years!
@fruityPond7887
This is a good point - reminiscing can set a foundation for strong family bonds. What surprised me is that I have read a study where it said that talking to children about bad things happening around them can also help them grow stronger and more emotionally balanced. What lots of people do not know is that children are very sensitive and they are going to question things that seem off themselves. Therefore, I think talking to them about it and guiding them through it can also strengthen the bond even when it is not something positive to talk about.
@globalBraid3744 Exactly! I agree. I'm sure that's definitely tricky to go through as a parent though. I can imagine parents wanting to protect and hide their children from negative experiences, but like you said, it's probably very important to expose them with guidance to help them build ways to protect themselves independently when they get older.
@fruityPond7887
I think it is mostly applied to things that a parent cannot protect their child from hearing from their peers etc. This article explains it very well: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/health/kids-anxiety-ukraine-wellness/index.html.
@globalBraid3744 Thank you for sharing! It's a very interesting topic!
@globalBraid3744 I love taking pictures of memories so I can keep them to reminisce about in the future. It brings me so much joy when I think about showing them to my future spouse and children.
@comfortableNight4463
The same! I think that taking photos to capture happy moments in one's life is extremely important.
