Saturday, January 14, 2012

Learning Joy

Little kids get shuttled around from place to place, tagging along on their parents' errands, and ruled by their parents' schedules.  Much of the time, this is necessary.  I feel so joyful when, instead, I am able to allow little Fox to set the pace and lead the action for part of the day.  Sometimes, if we have a day with no set plans, after breakfast, I just set him loose in the house and follow him from plaything to plaything, be they toys or everyday household items.  He decides what he wants to dismantle next.  Today we spent a few hours in the Boston Children's Museum, which was a blast.  I overheard numerous parents shepherding their obviously engaged kids onto the next exhibit, "Come on, let's move on."  As I watched the delight on Foxy's face as he swished his hands around in the soap water and reached for the huge bubbles, I relaxed and resolved to not push him forward.  I let him spend as much time as he wanted in that one activity, knowing there was no reason to try to fit as many experiences as possible into a single visit.  The excitement he was feeling was valuable.  I want to nurture a love of learning, and I think respecting a child's innate curiosity is one way to do this.

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