Have you ever asked a child for advice? I mean genuinely asked them? I was having a crummy day last week. I was stressed about some things, worried about some others and tired of a few more. Instead of taking my usual complaints to my usual friends I decided to go to a little girl in my classroom. Unorthodox, you bet, but I never said I was a traditionalist.
“Hey Maddie,” I said, “I’m having kind of a rough day today. Do you think it would help if I took a deep breathe and said, “I can?” She thought about it and shook her head. “Yes.” She even volunteered to do it with me. Turns out, she was having a bad day, too. We sat in a corner and took a deep breath. We said it out loud “I can.” I thought about all the things I can do. I can breathe, I can jump, I can walk, I can believe. Then I thought about all the things I could do. What if I could turn this day around? What if I believed in myself a little more? What if I was having a good day and not a bad one? I imagine she was doing something similar. Soon, we both started to smile. “It worked,” she said, and just like that, we were back.
We spend so much time trying to teach children. We teach them how to read and write, how to be afraid, how to eat properly, bathe properly, sleep properly. How to say please and thank you. How to grow up. Do we ever stop, though, and think about all the ways they teach us?
They teach us patience, kindness. They teach us respect and integrity. They teach us openness, devotion and, yes, unconditional love. They teach us how to let things go. But perhaps the biggest thing they teach us is how to teach them. People often ask me how I got to be so “good” with children, what my tricks are for teaching. I always answer the same way: they teach me.
Having a bad day? Ask your child for some advice. They may just have the answer you are looking for.
With love,
Kate
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1 comment:
Kate-
What you are doing is KEY!
what you are teaching these children is so profound.
At this young age you are enabling them to grasp the concept of accountability for the shape of their lives...teaching them that they can choose how to respond to stimulus (both pleasant and unpleasant). You are giving them tools for the world. You are setting them up for incredible lives.
As is sometimes said at the end of willPower- when we are face down flat on the floor after a challenging workout; ' sometimes you have t pick yourSELF up- IN ONE PIECE'...and we push-up into that last plank....
Both adults and children need to be reminded of how much power we really do have to 'change the chatter', 'choose to win' and ask....'what if...'
you are the BEST.
: )
christine
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