Children need strong roots

I was at a gardening meetup, discussing how to improve soil for plants to grow better, when I realized: We often focus on what activities and what accomplishments children will do, when what we need to provide first is good soil. Children need family. Children need home. Children need strong roots, the knowledge that they are loved, that their concerns are important, that they can ask for help and receive help without shame or ridicule. Children need time with us, their parents and people who love them, more than any classes or out-of-home activities.