First 5 Nevada County’s Blog

posted by Lindsay Dunckel

In my line of work, I spend a lot of time thinking about, writing about, and getting other people to think about what children need.  As the mother of a pre-teen daughter, I hear a lot about what a particular child “needs”—which doesn’t always match up so well with the thinking I do at work (except when it’s something like “I need to snuggle with you”).  So I had to smile when I came across this quote:

Contrary to the broader culture, most of what children need, money cannot buy.  Children need time and space, attention, affection, guidance and conversation.  —Mary Pipher, Ph.D., therapist and author of Reviving Ophelia

I so whole-heartedly agree.  If I could give every child just one thing, it would be a strong, positive attachment to a loving adult.  Wouldn’t the world be a beautiful place?