Love and Other Helpers | The Family Lab for Inquiry and Play

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The post I?d planned for today just doesn?t make sense right now. Hearing the news from Colorado this morning was devastating. We haven?t been watching television or even listening to the news on the radio, so at least explaining the tragedy to Sam hasn?t been a concern today.

In moments when we feel powerless, we each gravitate to our own coping mechanisms. My first instinct is simple ? love and appreciate my family and friends. My second impulse is think about what small actions, within my circle of influence, could somehow help.

In the field of early childhood education we focus a lot of energy on the social and emotional development of children. They?ve become such buzzwords in the profession, that they often cease to be meaningful. The Aurora shootings are a reminder that we need to faithfully and constantly tune in to the social and emotional well-being of people of all ages in our communities. We can?t support social and emotional competence from birth to age five and then call it good. It?s a life-long process, and there are ups and downs for all of us. We all need friends, no matter our age, no matter our circumstances. I think that I?m pretty good at supporting kids in this area, but I?m not that great at connecting with adults in my community (always that busy-ness excuse).

In that vein, I?m setting a few small goals for myself, to try to connect and build community. To celebrate and share more love. If you?re inspired to do something similar, please share.

1. Invite friends over for dinner more often
2. Get to know more people on our block (and not just the ones with kids)
3. Ahem. Actually pick up my phone when it rings. Sorry to everyone that I?ve been avoiding for the last decade or so

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Of course there are many Denver-area organizations that are also accepting?tangible donations.

Finally, I know this quote has been making the rounds on-line today, but I think it?s worth sharing again.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ?Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.? ??Fred Rogers

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Source: http://projectflip.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/love-and-other-helpers/

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