“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” – Yann Martel, The Life of Pi
The quote above from the Life of Pi by Yann Martel, a tale of a shipwrecked young man’s survival for 227 days, speaks volumes to a life of commitment. One must be committed to looking at ways to improve the lives of others, to improve the lives of families and to improve the life of communities. There are multiple different ways to do those tasks, but the key is action. The actions serve to express one’s beliefs, one’s philosophy of life, and hopefully manifest one’s sense of responsibility to others. When in an active role, we are not immobile but mobile. Indeed, we are moving in a direction that can be quite impactful for others.
I have chosen a life of commitment to children and their families. From the mid-1970s on, I have believed that my talents were best suited to provide direct care, clinical research, teaching, and administration. As my career evolved, writing and advocacy were added to my repertoire. Now in retirement, these latter two abilities are the mainstay of my efforts.
One of the joys of my career has been the ability to partner with amazing people on behalf of children and families. To complement my writing and advocacy, I am been so fortunate to have partnered with Dr. Andy Garner from Cleveland, Ohio. He is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a faculty associate with the Schubert Center for Child Studies. Back in 2018, we published the first edition of Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health and now the second edition has just been published.1
This book grew from discussions between the authors back in 2015 about how to take the science behind early childhood development from an academic pursuit to one that tries to explain this science to any people that care for children. Even so, an explanation would not be good enough. We felt compelled to bring the science into the realm of practicality – what should parents be doing, what should pediatricians and other medical providers be doing, what should communities be doing, what should policy makers be doing, and what should society be doing. The second edition builds on the momentum of the evolving science, bringing an enhanced focus on the health-promoting role of positive childhood experiences. Actions, not words, will make the difference for our children. Immobility is not an option.
The bullet points below can broadly be described as our philosophy. We have no doubt as to their contributions to the well-being of children and families. We chose mobility, action on these items, as our means of transportation going forward.
In the words of my co-author, we believe –
- ”What happens in childhood does not stay in childhood,” so investments in families and communities with children are pivotal (e.g., help the caregivers in order to help the children).
- Many chronic, non-communicable diseases are adult manifest disorders, but their origins are in childhood adversity, so investments in early life care and education are needed to mitigate the long-term costs of care (e.g., “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”).
- Early Relational Health is a potent antidote to childhood adversity, and it emerges from the on-going cycles of biobehavioral synchrony (relating-rupture-repair) that children experience with attuned caregivers. Some degree of rupture is inevitable, but that’s ok because it is necessary to build repair. Caregivers do not need to be perfectly attuned all the time. It is the expectation of repair to build distress tolerance and make relationships safe, stable, and nurturing. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE REPAIR. But repair needs to be modeling, taught, practiced and celebrated! Empathy is a superpower, not a weakness.
As Dr. Bruce Perry2 states in the Foreword, “development is complex, yet thinking developmentally need not be. The core concepts that emerge from all studies of child development point to the essential role of attentive, attuned, and responsive relationships, especially early in life.”1(p. xiv)
The CEO and Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Mark Del Monte, further notes that “after reading this book, it’s impossible not to think developmentally. It shifts how we view our work, our communities, and our shared responsibility to children. It invites each of us to ask: How can I be a safe, stable, nurturing presence in a child’s life? And how can we ensure that every child has someone like that?”1(p. xi-xii)
Dr. Perry and CEO Mark Del Monte affirm our belief that thinking developmentally is crucial for the care of children in the 21st century and beyond. We now have excellent science that can guide us to help build healthy children, nurturing families and communities that care. This science will, of course, continue to evolve, but we have an excellent blueprint now. It is our moral and ethical obligation to use this science and knowledge for the betterment of children and families. The AAP is deeply committed to this work with a designated Center of Excellence, National Center for Relational Health and Trauma-Informed Care.3
I believe that my career and my personal and professional lives are well served by thinking developmentally. I have no doubt, and therefore I do not have any immobility in this task. Thinking developmentally, using the tools of relational health, is the path forward. I believe that I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with so many incredible people, including Dr. Garner, on my journey. I believe that I have been blessed and I need to pass those blessings on to the children and families.
- Garner A, Saul R. Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health, 2nd American Academy of Pediatrics; 2025. 200 pp.
- https://www.bdperry.com
- https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/national-center-for-relational-health-and-trauma-informed-care/