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What Matters?
What Matters?
WHAT MATTERS? for family wellbeing
WHAT MATTERS? for family wellbeing
‘WHAT MATTERS? for family wellbeing’ is short, easy to read, timely and practical. It is a small book about a big subject, the long-term health and happiness of babies, young children and their companions. Based on widely researched evidence about development in the earliest years from birth, it highlights the importance of companionable relationships in families.
‘What Matters?’ offers a way for parents and carers to decide what matters to them, in everyday life at home. The needs of babies and young children themselves come first, a perspective often ignored in the childcare debate. Importantly it is also about what matters for parents and carers themselves, with many ideas to make life better and easier for everyone. These days when so much prevents people connecting with each other, ‘What Matters?’ is all about restoring and building those connections, right from the start.
The basic theme that runs throughout the book, and that threads all the other themes together, is companionship. It is about the depth and quality of babies and young children’s relationships with their ‘companions’: the people they see often and know well, with whom they share love or affection. This indicates a very wide readership, not just parents and primary carers; but also grandparents (so often in the caring role these days) and other family members and friends regularly involved with babies and young children.
If you would like to hear Dr Rosemary Roberts discuss some of the themes in 'What matters', please scroll down to access the podcast episodes on Spotify.
Here are the contents of ‘What Matters?’
Chapter 1 Getting Started
1. Is ‘What Matters’ for you?
2. When is the best time to read ‘What Matters’?
3. What do parents usually hope for their children?
4. In this changing world, what matters now?
5. What are the main messages of ‘What Matters’?
Chapter 2 Companions Matter
1. What does being a ‘companion’ mean?
2. What’s special about companions?
3. What is our first language?
4. Do babies feel stress?
5. How can we be good enough companions?
Chapter 3 Belonging-and-Behaviour Matters
1. Why does belonging matter?
2. How does a baby’s identity take shape?
3. How do babies and young children learn about belonging?
4. What has belonging got to do with behaviour?
5. What about ‘spoiling’ children?
6. People talk about routines – can they help?
7. How can companions prevent so many tantrums?
8. What matters most about behaviour?
Chapter 4 Caring Matters
1. How is connecting part of caring?
2. What does companionable caring look like?
3. Are grandparents special companions and carers?
4. How can we choose the best daycare?
5. Changes are upsetting – what can we do?
6. How does caring connect with life-long wellbeing?
Chapter 5 Learning Matters
1. How do babies and young children learn?
2. How do we know when they are learning?
3. Can we teach positive learning attitudes?
4. When is the right time to start sharing books?
5. Why is it never too early?
6. Children learn through play? How does that work?
7. Do young children have their own favourite ways of playing?
Chapter 6 Doing Matters
1. What can we do with the youngest children?
2. Don’t we need training?
3. What does the natural world mean for children?
4. Why do they always want to help?
5. Is there a right way to share books with a small child?
6. What is ‘old friends’ about – is this bit just for grandparents?
7. Does food with small children have to be a battlefield?
8. Does going out matter?
9. Does playing count as something that matters?
10. What about screens, are they bad for young children?
11. What’s the hurry?
Chapter 7 You Matter
1. Isn’t it the baby that matters?
2. How can I make things better, for me?
3. From symptoms to causes: what’s the problem?
4. When a problem won’t shift, what can I do?
5. What’s normal?
6. And what’s good enough?
Chapter 8 Looking Ahead
1. Toddlers grow into teenagers
2. The teenage roller-coaster
3. Wellbeing for life?
4. Making a difference to families and communities?
'What Matters?' Podcast - listen now on Spotify
Click here to access the podcast homepage on Spotify:
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