I have a strong belief that if we are raising the children of today to know that there are other options, we may not have a future generation full of autoimmune ridden, allergy burdened, overweight, and very sick people. If nothing changes, nothing changes. It seems America keeps going down this long road of "pop a synthetic pill and everything will be alright" just to find that everything is NOT alright. In fact, most of the time one thing gets better and another gets worse.
If we can try to remember and put to use the wonderful things that our Earth has to offer us that no man can truly duplicate, we may find that we are a healthier people.
Below is a list of suggested ways that we can help our kids learn to be natural healers. They can grow to become confident in the ability of their own bodies and eventually help others to do the same.
1. Decide to make a change: When I decided to make a change within our home from a family that totally depended on synthetic substances to a family that is more natural minded, it seemed overwhelming. I would think to myself, "well, what about shampoos and laundry detergents and medicines and...." The list went on and on. It is important to realize that it may have to be a slow process starting with small changes. It is not as difficult as it seems when you work on one thing at a time. Sometimes there is no change until there is a motivation to change. Making changes before something negative happens is probably the wiser choice. Each of us continue to learn everyday but my whole family has had positive experiences that encourage us not to just reach for that bottle of cough syrup every time we have a little cough. I have found that we get sick a lot less often and we are more happy and healthy in general.
2. Teach them how to verbalize their needs: Our children depend on us for pretty much everything. We can teach them independence but they will still need to depend on us for certain things until they reach a certain age. Helping a child to recognize what they need and learn how to put that into words can help them learn to become a healer for themselves and in turn they will be able to recognize others needs. I would like to share a story of how this can work. My 2 year old son fell, hit his knee, and was sobbing on the kitchen floor. I walked up to him, put my hand on his back and asked "Are you hurt?" He replied with a sobbing "Ye-esss-ss-ss" Then I asked "Do you need a hug?" He stood up and came over to hug me. Then my third question to him was "Do you need a tissue?" He told me "yes" and I went and got him a tissue for his tears and runny nose. The following day I had a very overwhelming day and I ended up sitting down on my living room floor to cry. He came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said "Why are you crying?" I told him I was sad. He said "Do you need a tissue?" I said "Yes". He went into the bathroom to get one. He then gave me the tissue along with a hug. I thanked him for seeing my needs and helping me. The moral of this story is that if we can ask questions to allow our children the opportunity to think about what they need in that moment, then they will learn how to help others in their time of need and also to ask for what they need when the time comes.
3. Teach them how to take care of a plant: There are hundreds of thousands of plants that can benefit our bodies. It is just a matter of educating ourselves on what they are. If you have room for a small garden, let your children help you plant vegetables. If you don't have space or time for a garden, buy a pot, seeds and soil and plant something (anything!) indoors to teach them how to grow something of their own. This encourages confidence and can help them in the future with their own families. It is beneficial to have things such as herbs, aloe vera, and flowers that have health benefits. If you're not sure, pick one plant, learn about it, then teach how it works to improve health. You could even have a goal of learning about one plant per year. It can be something that you can learn and experience together. Make it fun!
4. Teach them how to choose healthy food: In order to teach about food, we have to know about food. I have been studying nutrition for over 5 years. I have read many books, gone to conferences, spoken with personal trainers, learned from online research, experimented with my own diets and recipes, etc. I have learned so much. You can too! Teaching children to read labels and to know what they mean can help them in their food choices. Both of my older children read labels regularly and know what goes into their bodies. They used to asked me all the time what each thing meant and what was a healthier choice. Now, they don't have to ask because they already know. I allow them to make their own choices a lot because I know that they know the difference. If they choose a less healthy option (which sometimes they do!) then at least they know what they've gotten themselves into when that tummy ache comes later on in the day. They have learned well from those experiences. When they are well educated, children can feel confident in knowing how to take care of, nourish and heal their own bodies.5. Teach them how to cope with discomfort: We are all human. We will all experience discomfort. I spoke a little bit about fevers in a previous post and how it is not always necessary to give an over-the-counter medicine for that. Finding different ways of coping with the pain and discomfort of being human will help children learn that it is okay to let our body ride it out and let it heal on it's own or that there are substances that are not harmful to us that can aid the body in healing. My kids (including my 2 year old) ask for specific essential oils for things that they need help with. Sometimes they know when to turn to our aloe vera plant for soothing comfort. For sore throats, my older son will request lemon tea with honey. For every OTC drug, there is a natural solution. There is no secret. It is just a matter of finding them and knowing what they are. Every time we choose not to put something that can be harmful into our body, we are one step closer to having a healthier body. Children have vulnerable bodies. Starting young can make it so they don't have to undo damage later in life that has already been done. When riding out the discomfort is not an option, teaching our children to know where to turn can help them immensely in their own lives and eventually the lives of others they will touch.
6. Teach by example: Most parents know that kids are like sponges. They soak up everything around them. If they see mom and dad doing it, they will repeat it. They pay attention to the food we buy, the pills we take, what we use on our skin, etc. Making choices that will be healthier for our bodies will motivate our children to do the same. I have even found that they motivate me at times! It is something that probably everyone knows but it never hurts to hear it again. If we are doing something that we wouldn't want our kids repeating, then we need to stop doing it.
Becoming a healer in your home is all about taking matters into your own hands. It's about not having to run to the doctor for every runny nose, cough, and earache. There are situations when we do need a doctor but those situations are more than likely the minority. When we, as parents learn the alternatives then we can teach our children.
These 6 things that I have listed are not the only ways to help children to become natural healers. Once you start, you begin to see that there are so many things to learn that you could spend a lifetime learning them. Deciding to change things within your own home can be the first step in changing a whole future of people.
Suggested Books:
Natural Baby and Childcare: Practical Medical Advice and Holistic Wisdom for Raising Healthy Children
The Holistic Baby Guide: Alternative Care for Common Health Problems (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series)
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