Principal’s Message February 2025

Recently I have had the opportunity to hear, firsthand, the stories of young people who are lost, confused, out of control and not managing their lives very well.  It was a sobering experience and as I listened to their stories, I couldn’t help but reflect on what could have possibly gone wrong. We have the absolute pleasure of educating your very young children, tiny humans all shiny and new, without any baggage, so that is our daily reality at CGS. What happens to move them from this age of innocence to confronting serious mental health issues that lead to grave consequences out in the world? My enquiring mind led me to ask if there is anything that educators and parents could do to help prevent this trajectory and I wondered if simply love could be the answer.  

If we love our young enough, and in all the right ways, can we possibly prevent them from going astray? Call me naïve but I think if we do this right, we could actually have a pretty good shot at some success. What better month than February to take a deep dive into all things love, especially when it comes to the youngest members of our society.  

So, what is your love language? Is it giving your children everything they want or perhaps just everything they need? Do you tell them you love them, or do you simply show them they are loved? As in any relationship our love language can and may change at different points in our lives but no matter how we show it, our children must know they are loved to be empowered to face the challenges of the world head on and find success as they grow and mature. 

There are several ways that we can show our children that we love and care for them deeply. The key is creating positive connections with them, and it is easier than we may think. Putting in the work when they are young means that even when the time comes to release them into ‘the wild’ they will go knowing they always have a safe place to return to no matter what.  

There is nothing more special to a child than feeling they are being truly listened to, understood and appreciated. Learning to be open with our own thoughts and feelings can encourage our children to do the same. To really listen we must set aside all distractions, and that includes our mobile devices. Did you know that research shows that parental phone use can have a negative impact on children? So, putting down our cell phones and showing a genuine interest in what our children have to say will go a long way to them knowing that their thoughts and ideas matter to us. Children need to feel comfortable communicating with the adults in their lives. If we listen to all the little things when they are little, hopefully they will tell us all the big things when they are big. Expressing gratitude to our children makes them realize how much appreciation we have for them and just how precious they are. Letting them know we value their efforts is so important and doing their best is the only expectation we should have of them. Goals that are too rigid and lofty can only lead children to question their worth and ultimately, how much they are loved.  

Bonding with our children can come in many forms. All humans crave physical affection so hugs and kisses at a young age go a long way to helping children feel connected and loved. But if we aren’t the lovey-dovey type that’s okay. We can still demonstrate our love with small gestures such as little notes in the lunch box, offering praise and high fives and saying kind things about them in front of others.  

 What about gifting? I have always loved giving my children presents but as corny as it sounds, I learned very early on that the best present we can gift our children is our presence. If asked, not many people could remember what their parents gifted them for their tenth birthday, for example, but they probably remember how many special events their parents attended, how loud their parents cheered for them in the stands and how many tears were wiped when they were sad.  

I recently read this statement about loving our children that I found quite profound and think it is an important share.  “The most fundamental gifts we can give our children are acceptance, stability and most importantly, love. Of course, parents love their children. But love is not only a noun, it’s also a verb, and showing love to your children consistently is essential to their well-being”.  

So, no matter what our love language of choice, ultimately, we simply want to be consistent enough that our children feel loved. Feeling loved should go a long way in preparing our young ones for all the external forces that will likely attempt to lead them astray as they grow. It is also important for us to always remember that children need to know they are loved even when they make a mistake. We need to be their support, their safe place and their guiding light. Let’s all show up for our children and let them know that our arms and hearts are always wide open to them and that they are always loved. Their future, and ours, depends on it. 

Onward,

Marie Bates
Principal