During the cold, grey days of winter, we usually don’t see anything in bloom. We know that it is not the time or the season. But we still believe that Spring is coming and that Mother Nature knows just what she is doing in that dark earth.
With the arrival of spring, blossoms gently open in their own time and at their own pace. But imagine trying to pry a bud open with your fingers so that it would bloom sooner! Instead of speeding up the process, it destroys the bud….
What a powerful lesson for parents. There are so many areas we may want to help our children to grow: for example, socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. And yet we can easily lose sight of the quiet growth that is already occurring in our child at this moment. We may want to hurry it up. It is often hard to be patient.
Here are a few questions to help:
1) In the last year, what capabilities has my child shown in different areas of her life that were not there before?
2) Is it easier for me to see my child’s weaknesses or my child’s strengths?
3) Have I taken the time to let my child know of her personal growth?
A book you can read with your kids focusing on strengths is:
How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
A book for parents is:
Your Child’s Strengths: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by Jenifer Fox
Family Activity for the Month: Have everyone bring paper, markers and their creativity outside to the front yard or in the neighborhood. Invite everyone to draw something they see blossoming. Bring the pictures inside and hang them at your children’s eye level so they can admire what they made!
Written by Laura Thieman, LCSW. Laura is a social worker at Crossroads Family Counseling Center. She brings over 15 years of experience across numerous settings and populations to her clinical work, and her areas of focus include play and expressive therapies with children. She has four young children of her own and can be found swinging at area parks, writing, and blowing bubbles.
