Upstart Guest Blog - Is Love really that scary?

As I have worked through my PhD I have found confidence in voicing my opinions about what it is I am researching. At the beginning of the process, you don't really know enough about what it is that you want to find out and it can be difficult and daunting to put yourself out there.

However, now that I am half way through my writing up I am gaining a real understanding of what it is I am researching and it has almost become a bit of a campaign! At a showing of the the Resilience film I made a point about how as ELC practitioners we are slaves to the rules and if the rules don't say we can love the children (not even that we can't just not that we can) then love them we don't. At the back of the room was Sue Palmer, author and chair of Upstart Scotland http://www.upstart.scot/upstart-organisers/. After the event Sue came up to me and we were chatting about how important love and play were to children's development and wellbeing. Sue then kindly asked me to write a guest blog for Upstart about my research and in particular love and touch. So I wrote my first official blog about my research, for Upstart and am very proud to say it has been received very well with some cracking comments on twitter:

There are one or two pupils who say “I love you” to me. I see it as connection and I’m glad they know I care.

This is brilliant.

Great discussion and a very emotive subject! I remember being at a conference sitting at a table with ELCC Managers and couldn't believe what I was hearing. It's ok to cuddle babies but not when they get to 3/4 or let them sit on your knee. Being an #unfeartie I argued against!

Fantastic.....guest blog

A thoughtful article, assisting us to be intentional when putting our kids front and centre of our policies and most significantly our practice.



Here it is, see what you think...

https://twitter.com/UpstartScot/status/1000344088812642304