So what
are we to DO as the ADULT?
We must begin by keeping our imagination alive: to always look for
the child who is not yet here; to have a vision for what is possible; to have
faith that the child will reveal himself through work; to have faith in the
basic goodness of each child. If the child has many deviations, we must remind
ourselves that something has already been an obstacle to that child and
constantly remind ourselves that the child wants to belong but just doesn’t
know how.
The most troublesome children need the most love. They are begging for
attention and should not be ignored, though the attention should be
appropriate. The type of attention they receive truly matters – as it will either
reinforce or break the deviation. We should never ignore or withdraw from a
child who is seeking attention. At age three, the child already has a positive
or negative self-image, which we can either strengthen or weaken.
We must have faith in the child and develop the virtue of humility before him.
The humble person does not lose his faith and blame the child when things
become chaotic, rather he looks to himself and to the environment.
We must develop patience, feeling for the child, having a particular sense of
sympathy. To be patient with children we need to accept things we understand as well as those things we do not
understand. We must know that children are not an inconvenience and we must
slow down to their pace.
Hand in hand with patience is perseverance. We must have confidence that the children are
essentially constructive. We must be compassionate,
maintaining the ability to keep our hearts open – in adversity it’s easy to
lose heart when working with children who so vulnerable, but in a positive way.
Courage is also crucial – courage to
open our hearts even when in fear that it will take in more than we think
it can hold. If the adult does not have these qualities, the children will stop
showing their own emotions and their development will be stunted on many
fronts.
No comments:
Post a Comment