Raising humans

Raising humans

The first thing to understand is that “childhood”, and the whole idea of “children”, is a social construct. We invented it to sort humans into categories. Some of the reasons for that were sound. A great many were not. In its best form the concept protects a genuinely vulnerable group of people. In its worst it builds a them-and-us culture in which equality never gets a look in.

Young people — humans from birth to roughly twenty-one — are among the most oppressed people in our society. Some argue that this oppression is necessary, that it gives them the protection they need while they grow. They insist we must have ultimate control over children in order to do what is best for them, and to care for them properly.

We need to ask ourselves, seriously, whether our own upbringing and its inherited ideas are biasing our answers. Doing that properly will take a great deal of reflection, from society as a whole. It may hurt. Let us begin.

Human brains

Human needs

Human rights

What's the problem

Our patriarchal society damages everybody. We have overridden our natural instincts while being bombarded with consumerism and capitalism. So we no longer work with natural development or natural human practice. And we keep ignoring the basic need of our species to live in community.

What needs to change?

The culture around birth

Human life begins in the womb, and birth is the first great transition any of us makes. The way a person comes into the world shapes their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing enormously. Education, support and human rights in birth change the outcomes for every human involved. How birth happens deserves attention at the very highest level.

The culture of supporting developing humans

The relationships we build with our children, while we love and protect them, shape everything about who they become. Understanding human development and ordinary human behaviour, and being able to balance promoting autonomy with holding boundaries, is what raises healthy, resilient people. Families need education and support for that, and it is essential.

The culture of how we interact as humans

Creating a culture where children are respected as autonomous and equal humans has to be pervasive. Yes, it starts at home, in families. But it lives in the rights and support that government provides, in how education is delivered, and in the involvement we allow people in the decisions that shape society. “No conversations about us, without us” is a phrase the neurodivergent community uses constantly. It should be a guiding light for building a more equal society. Humanity can only be raised together.

Together: a network for raising humans

An exciting project is under way, and you will find the details here first. Do you run an organisation with similar goals? Does your work or business provide education or support that meets them? Or do you campaign for the rights of children and parents?

If you would like to work closely with other businesses that share the goal of improving how our society raises humans, contact me. We intend to have a bigger impact by connecting.