Throughout childhood, emotional behaviours can surface as passing phases, or more seriously as negative behavioural patterns. The responses from care-givers to these types of patterns can impact upon a child's feelings of belonging, acceptance, happiness, well-being and enjoyment of Life. It can also negatively affect the parenting ability of any parent who is at a loss with ‘how to deal' with a child's negative behaviour pattern. In a world where it is becoming more and more ‘normal' to administer children with psychotropic pharmaceuticals; the offer of a subtle, non-addictive, non-reactive form of therapy that produces no negative side effects, is something to seriously consider as a safe and affordable alternative.

What are they and how do they work?
Bach Flower Remedies were formulated in England in the 1930's by Edward Bach, a surgeon and Homeopathic doctor. The similarity between homeopathic treatment and flower essence therapy are strong, so much so that flower essences are distributed worldwide using the protocols first evaluated for distribution of homeopathics. (Pioneered by Mechthild Scheffer -author of the widely acclaimed ‘The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy') Both use the energy body to directly influence healing of emotional and mental symptoms which are manifesting in the physical body, or in behaviours.

Flower Essences are potent vibrational energy signatures from a range of plants, gathered at the optimum time to collect their most potent energy. The same method is used when cultivating herbs for use in medicine. While herbal therapy and aromatherapy both use the volatile constituents of plants and flowers, the reason for making a flower essence is to capture its vibrational signature, without obtaining the volatiles. (Very attractive to anyone who suffers with allergies to plants and pollen) The pure water is then stabilised using brandy alcohol. Flower Essences are used as a subtle form of stabilising and balancing the emotional systems, leading to gentle and gradual changes in behaviours and or symptoms.

Treating behaviours in children using flower essences
Assessing the reasons for treatment can be a minefield in itself, but in the case of using flower essences, observation is a key part of determining which essence may be most useful. One doesn't need to search very far for reasons other than the behaviour which has led you in search of a solution! As previously mentioned, most childhood behaviours that manifest negatively are phases of growth and learning, and with patience and understanding they will pass and new knowledge will be taken into a new phase of life. Some parents and care givers like to take the option of smoothing the ‘emotional highway', and so administer flower essences as a preventative measure. Rescue Remedy is one such blend that assists for general discomfort and anxiety in situations like this.

When considering a ‘treatment' for a certain kind of behaviour, it means that a particular behaviour has started to become an obstacle to growth, and has not responded to the normal methods of teaching and guidance. (also, there is the need here to express that most behaviours are learnt by the child via observation of the adults in the child's close circle of care-providers...and that means a need to address the behaviour of adults before committing any child to ‘treatment' for any perceived negative behaviour)

Why Parents should take them too
As mentioned above, it is often the case that the adults within the child's close circle of care-givers will be influencing their behaviour, their emotional state and their feelings of well-being and belonging. With this in mind, it is obvious that those very same people may benefit from becoming aligned with the vibrational energy that the child is administered.

A child that is constantly stressed, easily upset, quick to tears or tantrums, or continually irritated, may in fact be picking up on those same emotional states from the adults who are their primary care givers. Children are our mirrors, as confronting as that is to accept, and they WILL show us the very best and the very worst of ourselves!

A baby that is continually ill-at-ease, crying hysterically, timid and tired, may be mimicking the vibrational energy of the Mother and or Father (or primary carer). A jittery Father or an exhausted Mother might be best treated with Rescue Remedy in this case, to calm and balance their own energetic system, and in turn create a frequency where the new baby feels at peace.

In the case where a behavioural trait is manifesting and not related easily to a care-giver's influence, then still, it is pertinent for the immediate care-giver to take the same essence or blend as the child, simply to be ‘in sync'.