sowingseeds

It seems that kids go through stages of internal thought processes that can be likened to photosynthesis of a plant. In my house, it has come to seem that perhaps teens are especially adept at mulling things over for a while before actually using the things they have been thinking about as energy for growth. It is so good to see a child of any age take to heart things that mom and dad have been telling them, sometimes for years.

We parents may at times feel as if we are talking to the wind or a brick wall, but when we see these things take effect in our children’s lives and the growth and maturity that begin show in the way they conduct themselves, we can know that our effort was not wasted. It may take time for a kid to think through things they are hearing and learning. But after a while of “percolating” the thoughts and ideas, these often become the catalyst for growth in their lives. As parents, we will hopefully continue to “shed some light” in our children’s hearts and minds, while allowing them the time and space to internally process these things. Our hope is that the reward will be the strong and healthy growth of our children into fruitful adult lives.

Every child has some area in which there is new growth just waiting to burst forth and blossom into new beauty. It is up to us to keep our eyes open to behold the eyes of growth waiting to bud in their lives.

We look forward to our children growing tall and strong in their quest to reach for the sky. We pray they will continue to mature and provide a vibrant color to the world around them. As parents we want our kids to be an aroma that will be pleasing and stimulating to those around them who may be stuck in a dead, stark world. We wish our children to be the ones who stand out and are easy to spot, the ones who maintain their strength no matter what each season of  life brings their way.

Air Layering-A specialized method of plant propagation accomplished by cutting into the bark of the plant to induce new roots to form.

There are so many times we see our kids hurt. As parents, we truly do not like this and are ready to take the “Mama/Papa Bear” approach to these situations. At the same time, we know that going through hard things and heartache can be the stimulus for new growth in our kids.

There are times when we must be the ones to inflict these “cuts” in our children’s lives, in order to provide for the new growth which awaits them. These can take place throughout a child’s life, in many different forms. For example, my oldest nephew gets tired of reading through the list of “drill words” I make him do each day. He gets tired reading from the readers I provide. He says that he “doesn’t like doing things that are hard.” But I know that these hard things, which may feel like a “cut” to him, will only serve him in his life, providing new roots and growth for him. When we see our teens hurting because they didn’t make the team or their friends are being jerks, or the teacher “wronged” him/her, or they left their project at home, it doesn’t help them to grow when we immediately step in and rescue them. These are the times that we can let them feel the “cut in the bark” which will provide growth for them, both now and in their future.

OVER-POTTING — Repotting a plant into a pot which is too large to allow successful establishment.

While a parent is experiencing constant growth and change in their children, it is sometimes difficult to gauge exactly what a child needs at a given moment. Because children, like plants, can be tender at times, we walk a fine line when learning how to best help our children to grow and thrive.

While we want our children to “stay our little boys and girls”, we at the same time want them to outgrow us. It is a delicate balancing act to find just the right environment in which our children can grow at the proper pace for him/her.

We do not really intend to stunt our children’s growth, keeping their roots bound. But at the same time, we must be careful not to “over pot” our children either. There are times we may want to rush our child, or even think s/he is ready for something, that we place them in a “container” a little too large to allow them to successfully establish themselves. We may see our toddler ready to potty train, when he isn’t quiet mature enough to successfully get through this stage. We may put our daughter on a bike too big for her, thinking she will “grow into it”, and she ends up unsuccessful in each attempt to learn to ride, that she eventually gives up. These are small examples, which show just how we as parents can at times “over pot” our kids. When talking about situations that they may not be ready to face, too sensitive to handle, or even too immature, we need to remind ourselves that there will be time to get to these stages, and we do not need to push our child into them before they are ready to successfully maneuver through them.

hardening off: The process of gradually acclimatizing greenhouse or indoor grown plants to outdoor growing conditions.

The idea of hardening off can take place in various ways throughout a child’s life. Of course our ultimate goal as parents is to move our children from our protective care, our own virtual greenhouse, to a life thriving on their own outside our home. The gradual acclimation for children seems to be ideal to their growth.

When a child is very small we can start by leaving him/her for a few minutes at a time with one parent alone. Then we can leave the child with other family members, maybe grandparents or aunts and uncles. As the child begins to grow, s/he may be ready to see more of the outside world. Slowly we can introduce him/her to different settings. Perhaps an art class or a sports team or simple playdates outside our home.

As the child continues his/her growth, many are sent to school outside the home and/or to other caregivers and activities. These gradual exposures in safe environments will help the child to acclimate to a life outside the home, which will one day be his/her own.