Connections Really Matter to Children

The happiness of children is strongly affected by the quality and quantity of the human connections that they have in their young lives

A recent article in the May 2008 addition of American Baby magazine (7 Secrets to Raising a Happy Child) reminds us yet again of the importance of human connectedness to the welfare of young children. Among seven factors affecting the sense of well-being and happiness in our youngest, author Marguerite Lamb identifies “fostering connections” as the “…surest way to promote your child’s emotional well-being…” She supports her assertion with some compelling comments by various authorities.

One of the most interesting statements comes from Christine Carter, PhD, Executive Director of the University of California at Berkley’s Greater Good Science Center. In the article, Dr. Carter points out that, “We know from 50 years of research that social connections are an incredibly important, if not the most important, contributor to happiness…and it’s not just the quality, but also the quantity of the bonds.” Her observations are strongly supported by Edward Hallowell, MD, a child psychiatrist and author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness, who says that, “A connected childhood is the key to happiness.” These comments clearly echo the very powerful messages that we hear in Hardwired to Connect, the remarkable report and video of the same name produced in 2003 by the Commission on Children at Risk as a result of a major study of American youth.

At LOGOS, we have always said that relationships are central to effective ministry…especially inter-generational connections between kids and adults of all ages. Today you really can’t pick up an article on ministry with children or youth and not see a clear reference to the power of relationships. In fact, they have replaced programs and activities as the cornerstones of effective ministry with kids.

Check out our Children’s Ministry Effectiveness Model to see all of the factors that we have discovered have an impact on ministry effectiveness. How does your ministry stack up?