Voices that Inspire

What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. My name is Mimi Graham and I'm Director of the FSU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy. I found out in high school that some people had never had a birthday cake and party. So I think I made 100 cakes my senior year in high school and I, you know, how can we help every kid have a happy childhood? And I'm majored in child development and that. But when I found out about the adverse childhood experiences, it all made sense that what happens in those early years really is the foundation of who you become. And how can we help those kids who have had adversity in early childhood? How can we build up their resilience? And all it takes is one nurturing relationship that can really buffer the stress and change the trajectory for kids. We can change the world with peek-a-boo. It is the serve and return. It really does matter whether the dads reading the Wall Street Journal to the baby or just that interaction. But these incredible first years are so pivotal to your whole development and we don't get them back. So take the time now to play with the baby and take them to the park. And it's not things that cost things. It's spending the time. It's the bird watching or just reading the book in your lap. It's not just about the literacy. You got to hold the child to read them the book. So it's the nurturing and the attachment that you're supporting as well as the love of books and literacy. It's really about relationships. From birth to old age, our lives are most enriched by relationships. Mimi Graham, Director of FSU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy. You're listening to voices that inspire.