Safeguarding the Welfare and Innocence of a Child

Safeguarding the Welfare and Innocence of a Child Childhood experiences differ from person to person in many ways. One’s personal experience of childhood is likely to affect their understanding of childhood and their ideal vision of childhood. When I reminisce about childhood, the ideal vision of children frolicking around the park, having fun and carefree days comes to mind. As described by Rousseau, childhood is a brief period of sanctuary before encountering the perils and hardships of adulthood. This line by Rousseau: Why fill with bitterness the fleeting early days of childhood, days which will no more return for them than for you? encapsulates my ideal vision of childhood, a time of pure innocence that will never be recaptured and should be the best time of our lives (Hutchison Charlesworth 2000; Wood 2003). Brought up in Singapore as the youngest child in a family of four, my childhood experience was built upon an â€Å"Asian construction of childhood† with beliefs and ideas of Asian cultural influence. However , being the youngest child made me the perpetual â€Å"baby† of the family, with constant protection and showering of care. Coupled with the media’s constant representation of the innocent child through various movies and images, my view of childhood is inevitably skewed towards this image. The image of innocence recognizes a child’s vulnerability and immaturity, reflecting the need to provide care and protection in order to preserve the physical and spiritual purity of the child. James Prout (1990) recognized that while childhood innocence is a socially constructed phenomenon, biological immaturity is a fact of childhood. Therefore in this image, childhood is viewed separately from adulthood, with the responsibility of the young and innocent firmly in the hands of adults. It is further supported by the code of ethics in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), where adults are in a position of power, with the expectation of making decisions in the best interests of the child due to their innocence and perceived incapability of making the right decisions. In my experience of childhood, my brother and I were kept on constant adult supervision without the need or option to make any decisions. Everything was taken care of by Linda, our domestic worker fr om the Philippines and she was tasked to follow instructions and daily routines set out for us by my parents. Rousseau noted that children are born into an original natural state of essential goodness. However, their closeness with nature and natural goodness is being threatened or degraded by culture. In my infant years, protecting us from the ‘corruption’ of society was exactly what my parents wanted by limiting our exposure to sources of corruption such as violence in music, television and games. Postman (1983) highlighted a shift away from child innocence due to the myriad of media universally available to children. In recent years, the proliferation of technology and wider exposure to the Internet further deepened my view of the need to protect a child’s innocence. With more children playing games on internet-ready devices like the iPads, the ‘corruption’ of society slowly creeping into a child’s environment even without stepping out of h ome. While the image of innocence seem ideal at the infant stage to protect their innocence, upon further consideration, critics highlighted that continual treatment of a child in this view may hamper their development. . This is where I feel the limiting of experience and of opportunity may be critical and damaging for the child. As highlighted by Woodrow (1999), maintaining this focus as a child matures will deny them agency and inhibits the potential development of skills required to handle challenges in the future. With adults perceived as having power and responsibility over and for children, this raises another debatable point of whether they are always acting in the best interest of the child. In this construct of childhood innocence, Hutchison and Charlesworth (2000) argue that childhood becomes sentimentalized, while Docket (1998) feels that this nostalgic view stops us taking children seriously. Upon reflecting on my initial understanding and experience of the image of innocence, perhaps childhood consists of transitional phases consisting of multiple definitional perspectives. A transition into the frame of child development is a solution to progressively give a child more agency and Piaget’s view on childhood encapsulates it. Piaget noted the conception of childhood as certain transition stages of their lives at about 18 months, 7 years and 11 or 12 years, where a child will develop from immaturity to rationality, increasing their ability to understand their surroundings and have new capabilities to undertake certain tasks. The child is now viewed in the image of an embryo adult, seen as ‘human becomings’ rather than ‘human beings’ in preparation for the future (Hutchison Charlesworth 2000). At the early stages, as the child is positioned as less knowing, it is the responsibility of parents to use their own knowledge or resources to groom and nurture the abilities of their children at home. Upon attending school, the child is subjected to a politically influenced curriculum designed by teachers, which pushes them to achieve results and judged on standardized tests (Woodrow 1999). In relating my childhood experience in this perspective, grooming a child to undertake certain tasks is a challenge and very much depends on whether the agentic child is willing to accept it. At the age of 7, I was enrolled for swimming lessons but strongly refused to do so due to my immaturity and lack of understanding about it. However, after carefully explaining to me the importance of swimming as a life skill 2 years later, the increase in rationality and readiness led me to acquire new capabilities. In other instances, I was coerced to accompany my older brother in attending other courses beyond my will, and such scenarios depict images of a tyrannical adult as opposed to loving guides. Therefore, the adult must take special considerat ion when faced with such situations, as it may result in the poor emotional connection between children and adults as noted by Hoffman (2000) within this construct of childhood. In addition to this, the adult will have to constantly ensure a child’s needs for emotional stability, security, confidence, self-esteem are met. These images are never stable or unitary and their meanings are contestable. It is easy to over-simplify and homogenize the idea of childhood, and the children who go through that phase of life, ignoring cultural influence that children experience which differentially produce conceptions of childhood (Woodrow 1999). Everyone’s childhood is a unique phase of life. The only commonality is how one’s childhood is a determining factor of how their life shapes out to be, and the way it will influence childhood for their kids. To a child, what matters most is parents, as they will learn everything from them. The underlying idea of childhood is complex, and the role that adults play is rather confusing. The UN CRC states that all children have a right to speak freely and to be listened to by adults over decisions that affect them. While we recognize that a child has the right to be heard, and that they should have a say in their plans for the future, just to how much extent should they be given that freedom? By putting power and responsibility in the hands of children, does this confuse the role of adults and their responsibilities of shaping childhood? How will this affect an adult’s role in making decisions in the best interest of the child? On the topic of best interest of a child, an adult should act in the best interest of the child, but what’s best for the child may not exactly be in the same view in the eyes of the child. Also, an adult may not always act in the best interest of the child but rather, the most convenient option. How then are we going to police what’s right and what’s wrong. There can be guidelines in place but whether it’s enforced in the compounds of a home is something beyond our control. At the end of the day, there’s no single correct way of raising a child, as there are way too many variables to consider. Each child is different, each parents has their own views on how to raise a child. We are unclear who is in charge of childhood: teachers, parents, politicians, or children themselves? Alongside listening to children, the real question we need to be asking, as parents, educators, employers and politicians, is: have we created a society that has destroyed the childhood we want for our children?

Massachusetts Law

If guests harm themselves or others, after consuming alcoholic drinks at the host’s dwelling, then under certain circumstances, the host can be made responsible for such harm. The liability that arises can be either civil or criminal and the penalties imposed could range from imprisonment or community service to fines. In most of the States of the Union it has been deemed to be a crime to violate social host laws (Harvard College. Social Host Liability Law). The McGuiggan v. New England Tel case of Massachusetts discussed the question of social host liability. This case was based on incidents that transpired in the year 1978. Daniel the son of the McGuiggans had completed his high school studies successfully. In order to commemorate this occasion the McGuiggans held a party in which alcohol was served to the guests. Most of the guests were the classmates of Daniel and one of them, by the name of James Magee, who had   consumed alcoholic drinks before attending the party was offered some more drinks by the McGuiggans (McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co). After some time had elapsed, Daniel, Magee and two other guests went for a drive in a car. While travelling in this fashion, Daniel leaned out of the car window in order to vomit, whereupon his head collided with a cement post belonging to the New England Telephone company. The result injury proved to be fatal. Subsequently, the McGuiggans filed a case against the New England Telephone company. This company contended that the plaintiffs were liable for prosecution due to their being the social hosts of the drunken Magee. This was not accepted by the court, which decided in favor of the McGuiggans, because it could not be established that the McGuiggans were aware that Magee was drunk (McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co). The statute in this context was amended in the year 2000, consequent to the death of a drunken minor who had been involved in a fatal driving accident. The current legal position obtaining in this regard is that a parent who permits or condones the consumption of alcoholic drinks to minors is criminally liable. Hitherto fore, criminal liability was attendant only upon the actual offer of alcoholic drinks to a minor (Mass.Gen.Laws.ch.138). Since there has been no reduction in the number of cases involving drunken driving by minors, it would be extremely dangerous to make the law in respect of social host liability less stringent. The need of the hour is to make the punishment much more stringent and in addition, the offenders should also be made liable according to   the negligent per se standard, as is extant in some of the other States of the Union. Works Cited Harvard College. Social Host Liability Law. 30 September 2004. 28 September 2007 . â€Å"Mass.Gen.Laws.ch.138.† 2004. McGuiggan v. New England Telephone and Telegraph, Co. No. 398 Mass. 152 496 N.E.2d 141 . 1986.   

Critical Care Nurses (Aacn) Mission Statement Essay

The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) mission statement focuses on the patient and family members who are in need of acute or critical care and the nurses who care for these patients while relying on AACN for expert knowledge and influence driving excellence of care (http://www.aacn.org). AACN is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. It represents over 500,000 nurses in 49 U.S. states and 3 foreign countries and has more than 240 chapters. There are nine different member categories Active, Emeritus, Lifetime, International, Honorary, Student, Affiliate, Corporate, and Retired/Permanently Disabled with members belonging to only one category at a time and one membership at a time. Standards set by AACN include Practice Alerts such as Prevention of Aspiration, Family Visitation, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections, among others that address nursing and multidisciplinary practices important in acute and critical environments and are supported by evidence to promote a safe and optimal environment of care. Standards of Care, for nurses in acute and critical care utilize the framework of the nursing process along with the Scope of Practice to determine the role and boundaries of practice for acute and critical care. Specialty Certification such as the Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), Adult Progressive Care (PCCN), Adult Cardiac Surgery Subspecialty (CSC), and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNPC) are some of the certifications that can be obtained through AACN which validate knowledge, skills, and abilities against national standards. Educational programs for professional development and advancement can be obtained through AACN using resources such as web based learning, conferences, or chapter events. AACN is a leader in setting standards for current practice and education and is used by hospitals and learning institutions. Health policy is influenced by AACN with position statements to support legislation, working with coalitions to bring national attention to issues, and participation in national forums that shape health policy, care environments and delivery. AACN awards grants, supports research, and publishes a number of peer-reviewed journals.

Inspiring Quotes to Use When You Want to Say, Carpe Diem!

You will come across this Latin phrase when watching the 1989 Robin Williams movie,  Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams plays the role of an English professor who inspires his students with a short speech: â€Å"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem. Now who knows what that means? Carpe Diem. That’s ‘seize the day.’ Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines? Because we are food for the worms, lads. Because believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die. Now I would like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. You have walked past them many times. I don’t think you’ve really looked at them. They’re not very different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their live even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, Lean in. Listen. Do you hear it? (whispers) Carpe. (whispers again) Cape. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.† This adrenaline-pumping speech explains the literal and philosophical meaning behind carpe diem. Carpe diem is a warcry. Carpe diem invokes the sleeping giant within you. It urges you to shed your inhibitions, pluck some courage, and grab every opportunity that comes your way. Carpe diem is the best way to say, You only live once. The History Behind Carpe Diem For those who love history, carpe diem was first used in a poem in Odes Book I, by the poet Horace in 23 BC. The quote in Latin is as follows: â€Å"Dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas. Carpe diem; quam minimum credula postero.† Loosely translated, Horace said, While we’re talking, envious time is fleeing, pluck the day, put no trust in the future. While Williams translated carpe diem as seize the day, it may not be linguistically accurate. The word carpe means to pluck. So in a literal sense, it means, to pluck the day. Think of the day as a ripened fruit. The ripened fruit is waiting to be picked. You have to pluck the fruit at the right time and make the most of it. If you delay, the fruit will go stale. But if you pluck it at the right time, the rewards are innumerable. Though Horace was the first to use carpe diem, the real credit goes to Lord Byron for introducing carpe diem in the English language. He used it in his work, Letters. Carpe diem slowly crept into the lexicon of the Internet generation, when it was used in tandem with YOLO – You only live once. It soon became the catchword for the live-for-the-present generation. The Real Meaning of Carpe Diem Carpe diem means to live your life to the fullest. Every day offers you a ton of opportunities. Seize the opportunities and change your life. Fight your fears. Charge forward. Take the plunge. Nothing is ever achieved by holding back. If you want to carve your destiny, youve got to seize the day! Carpe diem! You can say, carpe diem in other ways. Here are some quotes that you can use instead of saying, carpe diem. Share these carpe diem quotes to start a revolution of change on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Take the world by storm. Charles BuxtonYou will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it. Rob SheffieldThe times you lived through, the people you shared those times with — nothing brings it all to life like an old mix tape. It does a better job of storing up memories than actual brain tissue can do. Every mix tape tells a story. Put them together, and they can add up to the story of a life.Roman PayneIt’s not that we have to quit this life one day, but it’s how many things we have to quit all at once: music, laughter, the physics of falling leaves, automobiles, holding hands, the scent of rain, the concept of subway trains†¦ if only one could leave this life slowly!Albert EinsteinYour imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.Mother TeresaLife is a game, play it.Thomas MertonLife is a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.Mark TwainThe fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.Bernard Bere nsonI wish I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.Oliver Wendell HolmesMany people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.Hazel LeeI held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour. I dropped it carelessly, Ah! I didnt know, I held opportunity.Larry McMurtry, Some Can WhistleIf you wait, all that happens is that you get older.Margaret FullerMen for the sake of getting a living forget to live.John Henry Cardinal NewmanFear not that life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.Robert BraultThe more side roads you stop to explore, the less likely that life will pass you by.Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotics Notebook, 1960Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.Art BuchwaldWhet her its the best of times or the worst of times, its the only time weve got.Andrea BoydstonIf you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance.Russell BakerLife is always walking up to us and saying, Come on in, the livings fine, and what do we do? Back off and take its picture.Diane AckermanI dont want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.Stephen LevineIf you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?Thomas P. MurphyMinutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely.Marie RayBegin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake.Mark TwainThe fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.HoraceWho knows whether the Gods will add tomorrow to the present hour?/Henry JamesI t hink I dont regret a single excess of my responsive youth—I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didnt embrace.Samuel JohnsonLife is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation of how it shall be spent.Allen SaundersLife is what happens to us while we are making other plans.Benjamin FranklinLost time is never found again.William ShakespeareI wasted time, and now doth time waste me.Henry David ThoreauOnly that day dawns to which we are awake.Johann Wolfgang von GoetheEvery second is of infinite value.Ralph Waldo EmersonWe are always getting ready to live but never living.Sydney J. HarrisRegret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.Adam MarshallYou only live once; but if you live it right, once is enough.Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too HumanWhen one has a great deal to put into it a day has a hundred pockets.Ruth Ann SchabackerEach day comes bearing i ts own gifts. Untie the ribbons.