Will he…March 18 Daily Reflection

Jake's picture of the ant

It’s a tiny ant looking up at a large tree; Jake made the picture in Kindergarten. It is hanging on the Kindergarten wall!

Don’t you love the perspective of a child? The ant has a look of worry on his face as he looks up at the large tree. Is it because Jake was worried about something at the time that he created this little masterpiece? Or is it because it was easier for Jake to draw a circle for a mouth than a smile? Can we really read into the picture created by a 5 year old? He told me the clouds were the same color as the sky, gray but maybe that’s because he could not find a blue piece of paper.

As parents in the year 2011 do we read too much into every detail of our children’s lives? Do we over analyze their every move wondering if it is leading them on a particular path in life? My little boy is playing with dolls at age 4; does that mean he will be gay when he grows up? My daughter loves sports; does that mean she won’t care about her education? He likes to take a part toys; does that mean he is destructive? She likes to climb trees; does that mean she will embrace challenges?

We as parents need to relax, take a deep breath and just let our children explore, discover and play. Just because a child favors a certain activity when they are little does not mean that is a defining moment in their lives. Maybe the child is just playing. We get so wrapped up in their future and the thought that we as parents are raising them wrong, that we forget to just enjoy the moment as we watch them play and explore.

If you are the type of parent who is this aware of your child’s interest then stop beating yourself up you are doing a great job. I know this because you are simply aware of your child. Let your child play and enjoy childhood. Let yourself relax and enjoy watching them be a child. Who knows maybe the ant in the picture has that mouth because he is surprised at how big the tree is, what does that say about Jake? Let’s just say Jake had fun making the picture because he is a kid and the picture is cute and let’s leave it at that.

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