I have seen many Ted talks over the years but none by a 7-year-old!

Is it unusual to see kids do stuff that we believe only grown-ups can do? Perhaps yes.

The Ted talk reminded me of an incident that my father told me about after my first cousin was born. He was a cry baby and a night owl, for almost 6 months he kept his parents awake for the better part of the night.

My uncle and aunt used to come to our place for my parent’s expert advice, it was one such evening when dad told me how he had written a furious letter to a newspaper after one of its articles claimed that infant babies cried purposely to seek attention.

My father could not stand the idea that someone felt that infants who cannot do anything on their own can scheme to seek attention.

The speaker talks about development in the early years and its stages;

·        Connecting

·        Talking

·        Playing

·        Healthy home

·        Community

The first five years are the most important part of the development of the brain and so we should nurture and give as many positive emotions as we can throughout this delicate phase.

I believe this to be true because I have experienced it, I have had loving parents and family members, teachers, and society members who gave us (me and my sister) a nurturing atmosphere to grow.

Today as a species we are connected at a global level but we have our issues as well.

I believe each child should be given these things, as our speaker said “it’s our future”.

These small steps like talking, playing, and connecting with a child develop his imagination, and vocabulary, and builds trust.

Not having these things creates confusion and stress.

So, ask yourself what are the foundations upon which you want our future generation to stand?

And so, serve and return, early and often. As our little speaker says, give children a chance to try new things to explore and to be ready to face the world in a more empathetic and caring manner.

“See? peekaboo can really change the world”

- Molly Wright, Ted Talk Speaker