Welcome FlowerChild

Unfortunately not all children are born with parents from different nationalities. Because learning languages from birth is the ideal situation. But also at the age of 5 children have amazing brain capacities and the flexibility to learn two or three languages at the same time. That is scientifically proven and I have the proof in my own house with two daughters (age 5 & 6) who speak three languages fluently. Most children in and outside Europe start learning languages at college, but at 11 a child is so adapted to the mother tongue that it is extremely difficult to learn to speak without accent. On top of that adolescents are more afraid to make mistakes and cannot learn in a playful spontaneous way anymore. What can parents do to stimulate their children to learn languages at a young age.
1. travel a lot with your children to different countries
2. encourage them to find correspondents (by letters or mail) abroad
3. invite children with different nationalities to come and play
4. take a summer au pair who does not speak your own language
Speaking several languages is not only important for our future in business or work, but it opens our interest and understanding of other cultures.

There is a revolution going on in the world of gaming. Where at first many researchers, politicians and parents were fiercely against children playing games, because of the fear of being isolated, becoming more violent, becoming less creative, school results would go down, chances of getting addicted, etc.., the opposite has been proven true. The famous psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for children, Serge Tisseron, has done extensive research and found that children are more social, only they meet in new surroundings, the knowledge they acquire through gaming is very useful in school and in real life, and that they become addicted is not likely at all.

I am very much in favor of the use of computer games in schools. Learning by playing is much more effective than listening and repeating a teacher. There are a lot of possibilities already. One example:

Digital schoolboards: This touchscreen can work as a traditional schoolboard for writing on lines or squares for calculations, but you can use it as an internet screen as well. Teachers can use Google earth for Geography or films about the human body for Biology for example.

How many city children have not seen a real cow or a real pig in their lives? How many kids do not know where milk comes from? Apparently there are many. So many, that the European Commission invested in a website called FARMLAND with games to learn children what life is like on a farm. What do the animals need to live a healthy and happy life? Why do we need to treat animals with respect? And what is the origin of our food? I love initiatives like this. Having respect for our nature, will give us healthier food in return.

In 1996 a nationwide alarm system was introduced in the US to find missing children. Chances are higher to find children alive within 24 hours, so speed is crucial. An alert is spread immediately to all national media and electronic message boards on the highways. This has been successful and in total 33 children were found in time thanks to this system. Today the Dutch government installed the Amber Alert in the Netherlands. Although not all cases can be solved this way, it feels reassuring that a whole society will very quickly be aware of the details of a missing child and can help to return it safely.

Until I read the book “Ditch the sugar addiction” at the age of 28, I ate at least one pack of cookies and a bag of candy per day. When I did not have sugar in the house that would really drive me crazy and an hour without it in my mouth made me tremble and feel sick. But then I read this book and I stopped instantly eating licorice, biscuits and toffees. Every horrible disease, every form of cancer has sugar as basic cause. I bought a crate with 20 kilo apples and ate them all in 7 days. I was determined to change my life as a sugar junkie.

These days it is practically impossible to raise children without sugar. Every birthday party is poisonous, Halloween is a disaster, and you cannot go shopping with your kids without them pestering you for sweets. Sensible mothers have an extremely hard time trying to protect their children. But we cannot give up, we cannot give in. Sugar is a poison and we have to say stop! Later our children will thank us for it.