parenthood, attachment, environment

Providing children in the first three years (above their physiological needs) with what they need most: close contact to and loving care by their mothers and fathers, will give societies healthier and happier people who will be more content, modest and much less prone to being manipulated into compulsive consumption.

The rate with which we change societies and endanger environments has never been as fast! For all the material wealth we produce we inflict grave negative impact on health and ecology.

How should we change to save us? How can we raise happier and healthier children? What´s the role of parents? How can we avoid mothers and fathers being chronically overworked, often to the brink of health-breakdown?  What´s the importance of fully functional relationships for society and environment?

We are convinced that family is a key element of society. We have robust data on fulfillment of children’s´ biological and developmental needs being vitally important for lifelong physical health and mental stability.  Pre-school kids love to have friends but the vast majority of children under three years given the choice would much rather stay at home with a parent (or other person who loves the child) than spend half or even whole days in a group supervised by a professional carer.

We therefore urge societies to much better care for their families and supply parents with all necessary resources for raising children, specifically: enough time AND financial basis. Parents only have a free choice if the alternatives a financially comparable. And why should the money you get for work depend on the location? Stop exploiting parents! Children are the next generation for the whole society, and care-work is essential and therefor should financially be rewarded with adequate money no matter if you work inside or outside home.

Last not least, intrafamilial care-work is climate-friendly because there´s less shuttle-driving of kids, and the care-working parent has a zero-distance to her or his workplace. ParentingForFuture fights for healthy children and functional families under changing economic and ecological conditions.

ParentingForFuture is a climate movement and firmly rooted among comparable groups that fight for a better future like „FridaysForFuture“,  „ParentsForFuture“, „Scientists4Future“ and  „ExtinctionRebellion“.

Adrian Serban, pediatrician

father, partner, Lyon, France

Doro Böhm, medic

mother, wife, Bielefeld, Germany

Rainer Böhm, neuropediatrician

father, husband, Bielefeld, Germany