Why do children want sweet things to eat and drink?... Why are kids not dealing with their lives?
Children and sweet things is a hot topic and achieves high billing in prime time news, magazines, talk back radio and newspapers everywhere. Children craving sweet things and the inability of children to deal with their lives, go hand in hand.
Three of the major ways in which they fail to deal with their lives are: Firstly, children cannot cope with others' expectations, when they are carrying unvoiced losses. People everywhere expect children to be able to turn even their deepest sense of loss into an opportunity for personal growth.
Secondly, in a cultural context, children are taught to keep their conversation light and bantering. They actually do not relate what they are really feeling.
Thirdly, they do not accept words simply out of reverence for others. They accept words only on the basis of their own understanding and familiarisation. With every idea sent out to them, new concepts often do not shoot and grow.
What are the benefits of Your Life Patterns?
Many people believe that the increase in obesity has something to do with a lack of physical exercise, and there is undoubtedly a link in many cases. An article posted (19th October 2006) on the www.ninemsn.com.au site, and circulated by AAP, details research into obesity.
Sydney University Associate Professor, Michael Booth, presented a study where, contrary to conventional wisdom, about 30% more children are doing one hour more exercise each day in 2004, than in 1997. Hence, the amount of physical exercise amongst children is actually increasing. However, children are consuming more junk food, such as soft drink Professor Booth's study found 15% of children, or 77,000 NSW teenagers, have elevated insulin levels, which is the first step to type two diabetes. Around 20 percent of boys have high blood pressure. The article also states that the prevelence of overweightness or obesity, peaks amongst grade 4 kids who are 9-10 years of age.
The priority emotions running children who cannot deal with their lives include emotions of obligation, "nuts", uncomfortable, misinterpreted, maniacal and nervousness.
As children, if we are unable to express what is really going on for us, these feelings are then carried into adult life. However, as adults we are very good at covering them with masks. Psychologists view addiction as a way of medicating the pain of unexpressed and "unacceptable" emotions. Other behaviours can come on line such as alcohol abuse, as a substitute for love, as a way of trying to bring oneself back from out of control or powerless emotions.
The physical effects on children are that they are simply worn out. They can meet with diseases of the bile duct and chronic, undiagnosed dehydration.
Physically, children can also become unable just to Be. Vasudeva and Kadambii Barnao in their book, Australian Flower Essences for the 21st Century, describe just being as "an art where the mind learns to sublimate its endless external plans and curiosities to the real experiences of the internal world".
These physical imbalances often come from a very high consumption of sugar and fatty foods, however the emotional factors predisposing children to addictions are rarely discussed.
Your Life Patterns offers a higher perspective on our behaviours, and the thoughts, emotions and ways of being within addictions. Learning about Your Life Patterns can assist in developing a lasting understanding and give clarity to how and why we do what we do.
