Founder Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan participated as a speaker in the program organized by Kütahya Dumlupınar University Emet Vocational School. The program, held for students of the Child Development Department, was broadcast live on YouTube. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “Our culture has very beautiful values. We need to teach our children the ancient wisdom and values that have come down for centuries. Our future is entrusted to them. There is no greater investment, no more valuable work, than raising a good child.”
“There is no greater investment than raising a good child”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan offered important advice to child development students, saying; “Child Development students should first fully establish theoretical foundations. They should read books that not only translate, but also describe our own values and culture. Human mental health is summarized in three words: mind, brain, and culture. Culture is the third pillar of mental health. Our culture has very beautiful values. There is ancient wisdom and values that have come down for centuries. We need to teach these to our children. Our future is entrusted to them. There is no greater investment, no more valuable work, than raising a good child. For this reason, child development specialists are doing a great job. Child development is actually child education and development. Child development is not limited to just physical development. A child's education and health are also included in this. If they read a lot, they will interpret the phenomena they encounter better. They should be curious. Curiosity is the teacher of knowledge. The most important emotion that develops a person is curiosity.”
“We must say no to a child while stroking their head”
Tarhan made evaluations about how children should be treated in terms of their development during the pandemic period and how this process should be reflected to them; “It is necessary to teach children how to plan their day. A child should learn to tidy their room and take on responsibilities from an early age. Too much love in such situations does not mean doing everything they say. It is not about making them the small ruler of the house. We will teach the child the burden of their age, the burden of freedom and responsibility. For example, they should help their mother, do small tasks around the house. At these ages, the most beautiful thing is to sit and read a book with the child. Have the child tell stories and fairy tales. Let them see a book in your hand. This is the period to make them love reading. The best thing to recommend during the pandemic is to spend time together, but quality time. It is necessary to teach this to the child. The home must be a rule-based environment. If the child does something wrong, we will gently say no. If you say yes to everything they say, that child's desires will grow in the future, and during adolescence, they will shake you like a fruit tree. Those children will be children who do not know where to stop. Therefore, they must learn the limits of life. We must say no to a child while stroking their head. Giving a child everything they want is the greatest harm that can be done to them. If we teach them to plan their day, the child learns to manage life.”
“Love, value, and share”
Tarhan talked about the importance of spending time with children and creating stories with them; “What develops a child's spiritual world is not verbal information. It is their experiences, memories, narratives, and stories. Do you have positive or negative stories or experiences with your child? If parents are actors in the child's life scenarios, then in such situations, when the child encounters others later in life, they will remember their mother or father doing something specific and behave accordingly. If there are parents who do not create stories with their child, that child cannot be prepared for life. A parent who does not spend time together cannot say, 'I am parenting my child.' Love, value, and share... In families where this rule applies, the child develops healthily.”
“Being able to manage love is a unique human trait”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that children's relationships with their parents significantly affect their lives, using the following expressions; “The mother-child relationship teaches the child to establish their first relationship and bond with life. A child who has a healthy relationship with their mother establishes healthier relationships with their father, friends, and in life in general. Because the human brain is a relational organ, and humans are relational beings. Humankind cannot live alone. The 0-3 age period is when the child gets to know the world. And the first person to make an investment of love is the mother. That's why the child first gives their love to her. As the child grows, they invest love in their toys, their father, their siblings, and as they grow further, in their friends and school. The child then enters adolescence and begins to socialize. Friends start to become more important than parents. Depending on the level of maturity, they direct their love investment towards the creator. The more aligned a person's love investment is with high values, the more they succeed in living in accordance with their existence. Therefore, being able to manage love is a unique human trait.”