Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5022096/
“Don’t worry about a thing, every little thing gonna be all right.” I was just listening to Bob Marley and thinking about children. Sorry, Bob, but children do worry. They worry about a lot of things. They also get confused and frustrated. Their feelings are powerful and often lead to behaviors that are challenging, both for them and for the adults who care for them. We are fortunate when they let us see what they are thinking, so that we have the opportunity to make them feel safe by exploring their worries and frustrations with them. Our responses have a profound effect on their ability to understand and cope with their own feelings.It occurs to me how much every response �" word, gesture, intonation, silence �" matters as children are encountering new experiences, new feelings. We talk about raising moral children, about self-esteem and mental health, how to teach children. But I think the real learning happens in the moments more powerfully than in the lessons. Moments are emotional, the feelings are powerful and real, lessons happen more often in the abstract.
Oliver (age 5) loves baseball. For many months he has been enjoying watching sports with his family, in ballparks and ...