Your Child's Most Basic Needs!
By Frank W. Thatcher Jr., Fri Dec 9th

Children are supposed to be well-taken care of by adults. Theyare supposed to have their basic needs met. These include theneed for food, warmth, physical comfort, adequate clothing and ahealthy environment. These needs also include their emotionalneeds, such as comfort, closeness to other human beings, andlove.

Unfortunately, due to the hectic and extremely busy lifestyle weall lead, sometimes we unintentionally neglect some of ourchildren's basic needs which are necessary to facilitatepositive growth mentally and physically.

Most of us love and care for our children as we should. We doour best for them by working many hard hours to make the moneyso we can provide as much as possible. However, we must rememberto address their most basic needs.

For example, this one very fundamental need is extremelyimportant and very frequently forgotten due to lack of awareness.

This basic need is "water".

Evidence from teachers, school nurses, and school doctors showthat many children suffer discomfort such as stomach aches,constipation, poor appetite, frequent bladder infection, andbackaches all linked to not drinking enough water.

Children don’t always realize that they are thirsty and in needof water. They do know they feel uncomfortable, unwell, tired,lethargic, and restless which in turn can lead to irritabilityand the inability to focus on tasks assigned by their teachers.

Children at school are expected to concentrate, play welltogether, share toys, and to follow instructions from theirteachers or to sit quietly and listen. A child that isuncomfortable cannot always co-operate and may

be labeled asbehaving badly or hyperactive when in fact they may just need todrink some water!

Getting enough water is an important aspect of brain function.It is especially important for children. Water assistsdigestion, washes away toxins, aids the lungs, heart, and bloodvessels and energizes the brain and body.

Water has the amazing ability to enliven us, fostering thedevelopment of energetic, naturally curious, and more focusedchildren. We need to teach our children the importance ofdrinking enough water all day long.

Water is best taken in frequent small amounts. Parents andteachers should make sure all children have easy access to waterand, if possible, carry their own water bottle throughout theday. Parents can set a good example, and would be wise to carrya water bottle with them and drink from it.

Many of us have a habit of choosing soft drinks, carbonatedbeverages and juices over water. Frequent sugary drinks causethe blood to become too sweet, fluid is drawn out of body cellsto dilute the high sugar levels in the blood, this then leads tothirst and dehydration in the child. De-hydration results inpoor concentration and short attention span.

Also, It is a well documented fact that sugary drinks causetooth decay.

Teaching by example is one of the bests way to educate. Choosewater instead of drinks and you will see the difference. Thechildren will learn from our example and will benefit many, manyways by having this most fundamental need met.

About the author:Frank W. Thatcher Jr. is an experienced educator specializing inchildren and their special needs. For additional informationregarding what you can do towards raising happy children, clickhttp://www.onlineshoppersmarket.com/parenting1.html