English: Lucy Merriam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Reading an article today led me to thinking about how well we think we know our children opposed to actually how well we know them. The article http://m.healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/child-health-know-your-child-better/19877 rightly advised on understanding the developmental stages and milestones of our young ones so as not to try and get them to emotionally understand relationships way before they are ready or try and explain to a 3 year old that his measles injection which hurts like hell is for his own good!
Where I am on this discussion is here…when do we seriously spend undisturbed time with one child and hear them with our whole selves? I am sure many of you reading this will be saying to the screen “I spent time with my child yesterday” or even “It is often just me and them.” This is so valuable and important for your children and this is great. What I am wondering though is “hearing” them with openness, without our own ideals and beliefs getting in the way, without our view on the world getting in the way. This is when we can truly start to know our children not just as our child, the beautiful creation we have in front of us but the person whole, individual, unique and probably with very different ideas and ideals than you.
KidzBoost 