IF I will be given the chance to turn back time, I would do it twice. It would be the first three years of each of my son's life. As a working mom, I am one of the hundreds, if not thousands or millions of mothers who cannot afford to give their full attention to their newborn children once they get back to work.
As we celebrate the Nutrition Month this July, the theme of the yearly event is “Malnutrisyon patuloy na labanan, First 1,000 days tutukan!” According to the National Nutrition Council, the said theme calls for continued efforts to address malnutrition in the country which is expected to worsen as a result of the pandemic and limited resources for nutrition. It also calls for all sectors to focus efforts on the First 1,000 Days of life as the strategic intervention to prevent stunting and obesity.
Why is it important to focus on the first 1000 days of a child's life? It is because everything that happens in this period shape future outcomes. This means that not only does nutrition have a big impact on a child's development but the relationships and the environment that they are in also play a big role on their progress as they grow older.
Thousanddays.org says "the first 1,000 days are a time of tremendous potential and enormous vulnerability. How well or how poorly mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time has a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive. This is because the first 1,000 days are when a child’s brain begins to grow and develop and when the foundations for their lifelong health are built."
The quality of nutrition that will be given to children in their first 1,000 days is very important in their over-all well-being. Poor nutrition during this period may cause irreversible damage to a child's growing brain which may affect academic skills and health conditions as well. In terms of environment and relationships, the early exposure to gadgets may also lead to developmental delays and other mental conditions which may be hard to address as they grow up.
While I cannot turn back time in reality, what little I could do is to help advocate the importance of giving our children our time and effort during their first 1,000 days. As a Polish proverb goes: "You have a lifetime to work but children are only young once." I hope new mothers out there will give their full time to ensure that their child will have the best first 1,000 days and not end up having regrets like me.