PARENTING ADVICE FOR RAISING STRONG PEOPLE Do not be too gentle with your...

PARENTING ADVICE FOR RAISING STRONG PEOPLE

Do not be too gentle with your babies. They need a little rough housing, especially the boys. Mild physical stress is an important growth trigger for children.

Vigorous massages, including brushing with a stiff, bristled brush (body scrub brush) and soft pinching, increase blood flow and reduce hypersensitivity.

Stretching and pulling on their arms and legs builds flexibility and strength. At less than 9 months old, the twins were able to hang from my fingers due to their strong grip.

Squeeze them and let them wiggle free. It was excellent fun and exercise for both of you.

Make them reach for things. Do not place the toys right in front of them. Make it hard. Before they get what they want, give them puzzles to solve.

Hold them straight out in front of you and tilt them slowly from side to side, then front to back. Let them stabilize themselves. It builds core strength. Stretch out their fingers and toes. This strengthens their extremities, which are our main contact points with the world.

Spray a little cold water on their feet (or whole body, depending on the weather), or take them for a dip in the ocean. They will learn to be comfortable with a little harmless cold.

Let the full power of the sun fall on their naked bodies at midday for at least a few minutes. They need to feel the heat and bear the light. It is excellent for them.

Give them some heavy things to move. Take all the filling out of a stuffed bear. Line it with plastic bags and fill them with clean, dry sand. Sew it back up. You now have a heavy bear.

Give them some noisy toys. Mine likes to play with a few old tin storage boxes. They knock them down, which makes a terrible racket. The first time, it scared them, but now they are comfortable with it.

Let them get a bit hungry before you feed them. You will know if you waited until the right time because they devour the food right down to the last bit. Our ancestors were in a constant state of hunger. They were strong, lean, and energetic, not weak, fat, and lethargic like today’s youth.

Start getting your children comfortable with discomfort and struggle in infancy. Life is a struggle, or at least it should be if you are doing anything of value. Learning to revel in the struggle is the right frame for a successful and joyful life.