Taking Lessons From Little Ones

Some of life's biggest lessons come from play. Most of these lessons will be learnt in childhood but don't think for a minute that it needs to stop there. Our life should be one long learning curve otherwise where's the fun?

When you have a child of your own, you soon realise the way they push themselves onwards and upwards to learn new things, to test themselves and then the way they challenge their own boundaries. As adults, we could learn much from this because the daily grind tends to get us down to a point when we just get by on tick over instead of pushing what we can do to get that little more from life, and let's face it we're only here for a relatively short while, we may as well get the most from it.

I have watched my children do this and now I am watching my grandson do exactly the same. It's nice to think they are unique, that they are more forward and adventurous than other children but that's maternal pride. In reality, all children have this ability. Our challenge as a parent is to keep them safe and channel that energy into something constructive.

As soon as a baby becomes aware, they want to see and hear all the new things around them, taking n all the detail and looking at life fresh and new. As soon as they gain any sort of control over their limbs they want to shuffle, to crawl, to walk and run. There simply is no stopping them.

My grandson barely two yet I see him pushing his limits continuously. When he first began walking, he tried too quickly to run. The old adage of not being able to run before you can walk is no accident! Several incidents of him going flat on his face did little to put him off or slow him down.

Sometimes, I take him to the park and this tiny little boy loves nothing more than the climbing frames. About five times higher than himself he sees it as nothing more than an object to be conquered - and conquer it he does. It is truly an amazing thing to watch: originally nervous and drawing away but left to his own devices, will go back time and again to the climbing frames and push himself a little further each time.

After about an hour this little boy is viewing climbing frames as just a thing to play on, a task that he has set himself and completed. But isn't this just a childish thing that we all do, I hear you ask. What is the point of making such an issue of children on climbing frames when there are bigger problems afoot once you reach adult life.

Well, for a start, look at the mentality. As adults we are faced with many trials in our relationships, in our work life and with our finances. Many problems seem insurmountable and often we'll have a bit of a go but quickly give up. Those children facing a climbing frame may well feel a little frustration but one thing they don't do is see it as an impossible task.

These climbing frames are usually huge constructions compared to the size of the child yet they keep going back to it, taking small steps and never giving up and eventually they get to where they want to be. If we applied this philosophy throughout life, how much more could we possibly achieve?

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