I don’t think anyone can grow unless he’s loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.
– Fred Rogers

Contributed by Nancy Rosenow, retired CEO of Dimensions Foundation and former Publisher of Exchange Press.

In addition to his quote above, Fred Rogers also had this to say about the best way to support children’s development:

“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people…Children are to be respected and I respect them deeply.”

In the Exchange Essentials article collection, “Conflict and Behavioral Challenges in the Classroom,” Dan Gartrell and Michael Gallo write about children’s need and right to be understood. They explain that what is labeled as “challenging behaviors” is often the result of inappropriate expectations.

Gartrell and Gallo explain that “early childhood professionals do well to think of young children not as years-old, but as months-old. A two-year-old has only 24 to 36 months of total life experience. A four-year-old has 48 to 60 months. Yet, adults sometimes expect emotional maturity from young children during conflicts (expressed disagreements) that we adults, with years of life experience, do not always show.”