Throughout the years that I have spoken about the role of interest development in the lives of children, all children, including those living in foster care, I have found that, probably most people working in the child welfare system have concluded that foster children's pursuit of interests is meant to address problems. These same people would never conceptualize their own children's involvement in science, history, or the arts, for example, as some sort of therapy. But, I think that the ever pervasive and long established approach to relating to the families who become involved with child welfare extends to almost every aspect of their lives in the eyes of child welfare personnel. So almost everything is some kind of treatment. Not something vital for normal development.
I have also found that people who have not worked within the child welfare system almost always understand quite readily why children living in foster care, just like all other children, need opportunities to explore, develop and pursue their interests.
I believe that if child welfare personnel can participate in thoughtful discussion with others who already understand these issues over a significant period of time, we will see a change in their thinking. Some of what they had better become familiar with is this:
The pursuit of interests does not derive from an inherent or biological based desire. Children raised in western societies become aware that cultural patterns and accepted standards call for them to seek out and involve themselves in at least one area of interest out of a possible multitude of fields. This involvement is what they then use to conceptualize their lives as having purpose, direction and meaning. This is not some lofty concept nor is it the actual way children may think about this issue. Thoughts of fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness may be closer to a young child's interpretation. In some non western societies, where food is scarce and not bought at supermarkets, proficient foraging for sustenance, for example, may fulfill this same function. American children deprived of any opportunity to explore and pursue interests will probably interpret this to mean that they fall short of the standard. As this pattern extends over the course of many years and influences additional life tasks, the risk increases for ongoing adjustment difficulties.
The provision of interest development opportunities "is partly an ethical issue," prominent Harvard developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan told me a few years back. "Puritans did not approve of children pursuing their own interests, nor did many other cultures. Our society in 2010 is in a unique historical era. All children must attend school, some children for diverse reasons are having difficulty with school and so it is a good idea at this time in this culture to let some pursue the areas in which they are talented or have interest," says Kagan.
I have also found that people who have not worked within the child welfare system almost always understand quite readily why children living in foster care, just like all other children, need opportunities to explore, develop and pursue their interests.
I believe that if child welfare personnel can participate in thoughtful discussion with others who already understand these issues over a significant period of time, we will see a change in their thinking. Some of what they had better become familiar with is this:
The pursuit of interests does not derive from an inherent or biological based desire. Children raised in western societies become aware that cultural patterns and accepted standards call for them to seek out and involve themselves in at least one area of interest out of a possible multitude of fields. This involvement is what they then use to conceptualize their lives as having purpose, direction and meaning. This is not some lofty concept nor is it the actual way children may think about this issue. Thoughts of fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness may be closer to a young child's interpretation. In some non western societies, where food is scarce and not bought at supermarkets, proficient foraging for sustenance, for example, may fulfill this same function. American children deprived of any opportunity to explore and pursue interests will probably interpret this to mean that they fall short of the standard. As this pattern extends over the course of many years and influences additional life tasks, the risk increases for ongoing adjustment difficulties.
The provision of interest development opportunities "is partly an ethical issue," prominent Harvard developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan told me a few years back. "Puritans did not approve of children pursuing their own interests, nor did many other cultures. Our society in 2010 is in a unique historical era. All children must attend school, some children for diverse reasons are having difficulty with school and so it is a good idea at this time in this culture to let some pursue the areas in which they are talented or have interest," says Kagan.
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