One of the tragedies that we, as adults, perpetrate against children is to crush their aspirations. We also crush their creativeness and ingenuity. It’s one of the great unrecognized injustices that exist in every generation. Imagine how far we would be as a race, if we did not prevent people from realizing their potential.
Did you ever have a situation as a child, or young adult, where you felt stifled or blocked from doing things that you felt were important? The people in charge would give excuses why you couldn't do something. Many of the excuses centered on the perception that you were incapable of succeeding without injuring yourself or others. Or perhaps it was merely that the adult in charge felt inconvenienced by your attempt to contribute.
I believe it can be explained simply. In *most* cases, it stems from the adult in charge harboring one, or more, of the following feelings:
o You will make a mess that I will have to clean up
o You are incapable of succeeding because you are too young
o You will hurt yourself
o You are not smart enough to accomplish the task
o You are not strong enough
o You lack training in the task
o You lack commitment to stay on task and complete project
And even more insidious than the above:
o Unwilling to expend the necessary energy to guide you
o Unwilling to take the risk to allow you to pursue success
Given the proper guidance and training, young people of capable of amazing things. If we would just invest the time necessary, the youth of today could quickly grow in ways we never dreamed imaginable. I am just as guilty as everyone else in this regard. However, I do recognize the potential present in our kids and will strive to encourage them when possible.
Remember, these are the people that will be taking care of the planet when we are elderly. Why not start now by encouraging them to realize their potential?
I agree! My grandma must have experienced some horrible events in her life; she was terrified of everything, which made me afraid (of people, elevators, etc., etc!). She wouldn't even let us kids cross the street to check the mailbox! It's good to be cautious, but it's important to let kids do things so they can gain confidence. I encourage my daughter to try new things (currently, scuba diving), while I fight my tendency to worry. I want her to be capable and responsible, which she won't become if I shelter her too much. Besides, kids minds are much more plastic than adults so they learn things much more easily. With each successful endeavor, my confidence in her capability increases. We both need to know that she is going to be okay when she ventures off on her own.
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI imagine it was very hard for people who went through the depression. There were very few safety standards in those days, including child labor. Kids got killed in industrial accidents probably way more than we realize.
My grandfather was born in 1914 and told me all kinds of crazy stories. The other problem though was in those generations, as you probably have heard, children were to be "seen and not heard". Ug ... how crushing.
I think it is wonderful how you are rasing Hadley. Honestly, the most important thing with a Child is having their parents nurture them, support their efforts, and believe in them. I am envious that you are doing Scuba right now. I even mentioned to Sharon that I wanted to Scuba dive since you brought that up. Getting PADI (sp?) certified was a goal of mine some time back.