By Leah McDermott, M.Ed.
How many times in a day do you tell your child to “hurry up?”
Rushing out the door. Get your shoes on. Eat your dinner faster. Walk quicker. Chin up, eyes forward, let’s go! We’ve got to HURRY…..
To where? To what?
Do you stop and ask yourself what you’re rushing for? What is so important that you are pushing your child so quickly through their childhood?
And do you ever wonder why?
Why they are moving so slowly. Why they are staring off into space.
Well… Did you ever ask? Did you ever just STOP and try to get inside their head?
I stopped hurrying. And I asked. And these are just a few of the answers I got:
“I’m counting my peas.” (not eating dinner)
“I’m trying to decide which shoes are the best shoes.” (taking forever to get shoes on)
“I’m singing to the birds.” (lagging behind on a walk)
“I want to see if the vultures come down to see if I’m a dead animal.” (laying on the ground on a trail)
“I’m watching this worm to see how fast it can dig.” (not coming in for a bath)
Do you see what’s happening here?
They’re still curious and full of wonder. They still see the beauty in weeds and will take the time to hop over every crack in the sidewalk for miles.
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