It takes time to tune a child.

More and more children are diagnosed with problems that seem new to this era, so we look for vaccines and food additives and other things in our culture that could be the cause.  This is not a bad thing.  Science is constantly evolving.   We need to be sure what we are adding is not detrimental.

A recent study shows that two simple instruments, one that mimics the ocean and another that mimics the mother's heartbeat, as well as the parent simply singing a lullaby, helps premature infants.  They found recorded music too complex for these babies, but simple sounds replicating the womb and the mother's heart helped babies increase their sleeping and sucking.  Something as simple as whispering, "ah" and gently patting their back in a rhythmic way made a difference.

All of this sounds a little like, "Duh, we have always done that."  But we don't anymore.  Television shows a baby growing up in sixty minutes.  Nobody watches a program that shows a parent sitting quietly in a room, gently rocking their child and murmuring sweet nothings to them.  There may be a glimpse of it, but the reality requires more time.

In today's loud chaotic world we want to plug our children in and program them like we do our phones and computers, but children are much more complex. 

I think the time is coming when newborn instructions will include, turn off the television and the radio while your child is young.  Allow him to lie quietly in your arms listening to you and your heart.  He will grow up stronger and more focused.

It takes time to tune a child.