"The Child Whisperer"

I spent last weekend with my sister's kids.  I had a great time.  She and her husband had a job to do elsewhere and they called me in to stay with Eliot (9) and Owen (almost 7).  They are great kids.  Their parents have worked really hard to help them be kind, loving, empathetic, patient, and caring of others.  They've succeeded as far as I can tell.

While I was there I taught Owen to tie his shoes.  I've taught Owen a couple of other things in the past....how to use the potty, how to swim....that kind of thing.  But the shoe tie lessons were really very easy.  He was eager to learn this new skill and worked hard to conquer it.  He's a smarty and saw right away what needed to be done.  He just had to work a bit to make his fingers do what he wanted them to do.  I showed him a few times, encouraged him a lot and just watched him learn this new skill.  My sister was very impressed and wrote a really sweet note on her facebook page calling me "the child whisperer". 

I want to say a few things about that.....first, and least important, is that I like kids.  I like watching them become the people they are becoming.  I like the way they think and the way they learn and the way they live....right in the moment, real and totally here.  We forget how to do that as adult worries and concerns worm their way into our minds.  Kids are concerned about real stuff....the dark, their dog, who got the biggest piece of brownie....you know what I mean.  They don't really care about who gets elected or who won the debate.  They process life in a much simpler and more immediate way. I like that about kids.  And let me add that kids know who likes them....they have very specific radar for those that care about them.  They know and they respond to those that appreciate them.

The second, and more important, thing I want to say is this.....I had great material to work with in Owen.  His parents have encouraged curiosity and exploration.  They've raised a child that sees an opportunity to learn a new thing as a chance to conquer the unknown.   They've not sheltered him from difficulty and failure.  Shoe laces don't always cooperate and he didn't get overly frustrated or give up.  He's used to working for it because his parents don't make life too easy for him.  They encourage him so that he knows they have confidence in him and his ability to learn new tasks.  The first time he successfully tied the shoe himself he said, "my mom and dad are going to love this!!"   And he was right....they did.  He is my hero because he was willing to learn, struggled with the learning and beat that shoe lace into submission.  He is a great kid....and you can thank his parents for that!!