Listen to thisLife-space work has to do with the fact that, in most cases, we who work with children and youth in care share their lives in a much deeper and more extensive way than, say teachers or nurses – or even relations. In fact many kids are with us because their own parents have been unable to share much of their lives, and we child care workers get the chance to offer young people a second chance at home and family experiences.
Characteristically, we life-space workers use ordinary, everyday events as the medium through which we make contact with youngsters, do things together, make it possible for them to manage, to achieve and generally feel better about themselves.
At this time of the year we are all conscious of the change in seasons: in the north, winter draws on; in the south, summer is near. How well do we use the seasons? While those in the southern hemisphere head for the beaches, in the north it may well be that the “life-space" becomes more than usually focused on everynight events “the times when we find each other indoors, glad of the warmth, the mug of cocoa and the company. The youngsters are less likely to want to run about outside “they are more in hibernation mode. It's a valuable time of the year which offers special possibilities.
Winter can comfortably be talking times, conversation times, story times, remembering times. Just as we are constantly busy with the children's development “physical, educational, social “winter can be the special time when we concentrate on the human development, the family development, the together times when we listen more to their stories and let them reconnect with their own past, and the sharing times when we listen more to each others' hopes and plans for the future.
The other day I heard someone say “But kids and grown-ups don't want to spend time with each other any more". “Who said?! Where do you get that from?" Throughout history ideas and stories and values have been shared and passed between the generations. And at times when the other adults in the children's lives are not available, child care workers have to do this.
We don't have to buy into the urban myth that the should generations should not spend time together any more. In any case, our job is to offer something different from what the kids have had before. We know that about the only tool we have to make a difference in kids' lives is our influence. And to influence, you have to be in touch. So get out the Monopoly boards and the chess sets, light the fire and put on the hot chocolate! If we are not going to make times when we can talk, we may as well be running a hotel, three meals a day, no more.
Winter is talking season. If we are not already doing it, let's try harder on the coming winter nights to revive a grand old “everyday" night-time family tradition.
