I am LOVING this response to a parent letter by Marin parent coach Polly Ely of the LAB METHOD, on the importance of dosing kids (and I'll add teens!) with awe, play and wonder. Such good medicine for all of us.
Dear Polly,
I have a really anxious 10 year old..
Dear Polly,
I have a really anxious 10 year old..
...We are super close. We talk about everything from social issues, to health related matters and climate change. We can even cover big topics like the Me Too movement, pesticides and GMOs. My daughter is smart as a whip and “an old soul”, as they say. She asks grown up questions and wants grown up answers. I like to be straight with her but it seems like she is growing more and more pre-occupied and less playful. She seems tight inside and I haven’t seen her true smile for a couple of months. How can I help her? Is there anything I can do to help her relax? And oddly, it seems like she has a harder time being at ease when she is with me.
Worried in Nor Cal,
Lara
Dear Lara,
Ahh yes - the double edged sword of being informed and aware is slicing right through many kids’ ability to relax. One fearful discussion about the fires, the garbage, the ocean, or the icebergs can turn a playful moment into a despairing puzzle, eclipsing an earnest kid’s mind to be at rest, in awe, or feeling spontaneous joy. Being informed and bonding around the news can cast a bit of a shadow on a kids world view. On the one hand, I get to bond with my kids and feel connected with them. On the other, does every moment need to be a teachable one? I recently witnessed an innocent mother-daughter trip... READ FULL ARTICLE.
Worried in Nor Cal,
Lara
Dear Lara,
Ahh yes - the double edged sword of being informed and aware is slicing right through many kids’ ability to relax. One fearful discussion about the fires, the garbage, the ocean, or the icebergs can turn a playful moment into a despairing puzzle, eclipsing an earnest kid’s mind to be at rest, in awe, or feeling spontaneous joy. Being informed and bonding around the news can cast a bit of a shadow on a kids world view. On the one hand, I get to bond with my kids and feel connected with them. On the other, does every moment need to be a teachable one? I recently witnessed an innocent mother-daughter trip... READ FULL ARTICLE.
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