According to a new report by the Children’s
Society, half a million children in the UK are unhappy
After discussing some of the factors that might be involved in
this finding, as well as looking at children’s lives in more depth, the report
offers six priorities that decision makers should bear in mind:
1.
The
right conditions to learn and develop
2.
A
positive view of themselves and a respect for their identity
3.
Enough
of the items and experiences that matter to them
4.
Positive
relationships with their family and friends
5.
A safe
and suitable home environment and local area
6.
The
opportunities to take part in positive activities that help them thrive
All of which I can
go along with, but I do have a slight question about one of them: priority
number 3, in particular the bit about “Enough… items…that matter to them”. The report notes that children feel unhappy
when they feel too different from their friends, and that this can relate to
clothes, things they own, and pocket money, and I can see this with both my own
children and the young people I work with.
But is the answer really to make sure they have enough of the things
that matter to them?
Might it not be
better to begin challenging what matters to them? The thing is, children are children, and
mainly they copy what they see around them.
We adults have created a world for them in which the “items that matter”
are consumer goods; phones, laptops, the latest version of Halo or Jack Wills
clothing. I have to confess that I can be as guilty of this as anyone…just
check out my iPhone 4! But maybe if we
showed them that some of the items that matter to us have little monetary value
they might begin to copy that.
I’d also like to
have a discussion about what the word “enough” means, but I’ll save that for another
day.
Really interesting and insightful thoughts. Love reflections re point 3. Encouraging where you match these up to good youth work values… feel like we might be going in the right direction.
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