Nurturing Human Nature

 Baby's "Joie-de-Vivre" 

Introduction

Yes! Babies are born ready to work at learning. Humans are born with "creative sensitivities". It is due to these that the whole psychic life of the individual stands upon a foundation which is laid down in the first years of life. No! Babies are not born lazy.

Environment

I want to see the world!

• If a child is lucky enough to have caring parents who provide a rich environment, the child's nature is to aim directly and energetically at functional independence. 

• With reinforcing encouragement, the child will work towards ever greater independence. 

• This innate drive stimulates the child to perform actions with untiring will-power and, if allowed to unfold naturally, without being hindered, it shows itself in what has been called the "joie-de-vivre"("joy of life"). 

• With this love of life the child is always enthusiastic, always happy. And, she will become a curious, cheerful, confident adult. 

Cornell Research

• The infant research lab at Cornell University  provides additional insights (it always helps to support philosophical truths with empirical evidence) into the critical advantages to a fast start in life.

• The concise list at the conclusion of the Cornell article is a handy check list for those proactive parents and educators.

Language 

• Indeed, parents are the baby's first and most important teachers. Besides creating a stimulating environment for the child to explore, they also help the baby immediately begin to learn language by adopting the rhythmic, high-pitched speaking style known as Parentese. 

Dad and Daughter Time!

• The child does not inherit a pre-established model for language. She inherits the power of constructing a language by an unconscious activity of absorption. 

• Each and every language which the baby finds surrounding her at birth can be constructed as perfectly as the adult speaking it, with their exact accent. Each language, be it English, Spanish, or Chinese will develop itself in the same length of time, and following the same procedure, in all children in all countries of the world. 

Papa Green Bean's Summary:

The main point here is that the baby's brain is a dynamic whole, which transforms its structure by active experience obtained from its surroundings. While she is developing, she perfects herself, overcoming every obstacle that she finds in her path. A vital force is active within her, and this guides her efforts towards her goal. In the purest philosophical sense, this essential life force belongs to what might be called a divine urge, a source of all evolution.

With Love and Hugs, Papa Green Bean