I watched two children waiting patiently for the swing. They must have been 2 and 5 years old.
They waited for 10 minutes. They waited for 20 minutes.
The 2 year old cried and the 5 year old looked grumpy.
They waited for 30 minutes.
Their mum asked you if they could have a turn. You said that your daughter didn’t want to get off. And you pushed her again.
The 2 year old continued to cry, and the 5 year old stomped angrily.
I watched their faces. It was obvious they couldn’t understand what was going on.
The 5 year old asked why the mummy wouldn’t tell the girl to let him have a go. His mum tried to explain, but it didn’t seem to make sense to her either.
One of the greatest gifts you can give your daughter is to teach her the rules of life.
Instil in her the ability to share and to care, and a love of doing so. Encourage her to interact positively with others, to read their expressions, and to respond to their emotions. Guide her towards compassion, generosity and sensitivity towards those around her. Those are the things she will be judged on in the playground, in the classroom and in life.
Teach her well, and she will thrive. She will make wonderful friends, and forge meaningful and lasting relationships that will delight her, give her succour, and will help her to flourish into a beautiful human being.
Fail to lead her in the right direction now, and you will no doubt, cause her social and emotional difficulties, which are likely to haunt her, and you, for the rest of her life.
And so, I wish you luck with your little girl. And hope for her sake, that it’s not too late to reconsider the lessons you teach.
Why not start with a smile? They’re contagious you know!