Pests
Pest: Any insect or animal which is detrimental to the health and well being of plants or other animals.
It seems fairly obvious what "pests" are when talking about gardening. In raising kids, pests could be any outside force which is detrimental the the health and well being of the child. This may even vary from family to family.
In the world of childhood, pests could likely take the form of things like the media. The constant bombardment of media influences, including TV, radio, advertisements, billboards and internet can sometimes run contrary to what a family deems as healthy and conducive to their child's growth. Many factors must be considered, for example, the child's age and maturity and his/her predisposition to certain fears and concepts. In the case of media influence, it is up to parents to be diligent in knowing what is available to and for the child and knowing what is being presented to the child.
Another form that a pest could take in a child's life could be other children. As parents, we must admit that there are times when other kid's are having an influence over our child that we do not esteem to be healthy to his/her growth. This could happen if the other child is pressuring your child to do something s/he does not want to do, or something that could be harmful to his/her development, such as drinking or drugs.
Pests in a child's life could even take the shape of over extending his/her calendar. If the child is involved in too many outside activities and does not have time to just be him/herself, it could be detrimental to his potential development to be all that he/she could become. Just as easily detrimental could be placing a child in a learning environment that is not suited to him/her. If the child is too stressed, or not being challenged or in some other way cannot function in such a setting, it could become so distressing to the child that s/he could "shut down" and no longer function or develop to his/her potential.
Of course, pests can be removed and controlled in both the garden and the home. It is up to parents to determine just what type of "pest control" they will use in nurturing their child to reach his/her fullest potential.
