Don’t ever mistake any moment with your child for anything less than a learning experience…for both of you.

What do I mean?

Well, tonight the Wild One said, “I draw A” during dinner and I looked up and she had used her fork to ‘draw’ on the walls (My fault, I was answering a text…during dinner).

Of course, I was busy lecturing her on the appropriate use of the fork to look at the lovely lines she had scrawled on our white wall. But she insisted, “I draw A!”

Exasperated.

I took her fork away. I mean, she hasn’t even learned to identify ‘A’ from ‘B’, it’s also all ABC to her, even numbers. After a while, she acknowledged that “Forks are for eating.”

But then she repeated again, “I draw A.”

And I finally looked carefully at the wall… and lo and behold, there it was an upside down ‘A’!

I felt terrible for not listening to her… and of course, I acknowledged the upside down letter immediately upon realising but then she repeated…

… “Forks are for eating.” 

Sigh.

After the little stinker (Yep, I said it!)  went to bed, I came across the Janet Lansbury article below, and this quote resonated with me:

“…Kids draw to have experiences, tell stories and express ideas. Even when they scribble, they are often expressing energy, sound, or motion rather than just moving their arm along the page or making a primitive attempt at something more representative…”

I realised that the Wild One had found a way to express that she had finally identified the letter ‘A’ on her own (and drew it!), but all I could do was focus on the negative—not to mention the fact that I completely underestimated her capacity to recognise the letter ‘A’ from ‘B’—rather than appreciate the learning that had occurred right in front of my eyes.

Next time, I’ll parent better, kid. I promise.

So, parents please read the article. It’s an eye-opener! And I implore you, observe and listen…your little one might just be expressing just how clever they are (even if it is upside down)!

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The Moments We Miss When We’re Busy Molding Our Kids — Janet Lansbury