Guiding Hands | 2011

I see parents with 1-2 year olds and I can't help but think about the days when we were in the same boat ourselves. Being aware of the things happening around Jakjak. Guidig him as he masters the art of walking, running and hiding (from worry-some mum and dad). Sometimes you know you look weird doing the things you do, but you actually don't care. You have the love of your life with you, so looking like a silly Billy does not really matter.


I love it when I see what parents try to do to keep their toddlers in place, or to chase them, or to simply make them smile and laugh. I'm sure many fathers and mothers (and uncles and aunts and grandmas and grandpas) would agree that when you are at that "high" having a good time with you kids, you tend to do things that you probably thought would not normally do. Silly faces, silly poses, silly sounds and every other silly thing that you can think of. But it's all ok. Those moments you spent are rewarded by smiles and tiny little laughs. It is rewarded by some little guy having the time of his life making yours as eccentric as you could be.


It's not all about the joys of course. The guidance of parents help build a child's own independence. I've noticed that if a child knows that there is someone there looking after him, he can be as daring as he can be. And if he is, then he grows up faster, he learns quicker and he can exploit his own potential (okay, maybe not that far). But because he knows you are there, he can be free to do things that makes him, himself.

You do have to give him enough space though. There is a line between being overprotective and downright inconsiderate. And this is true for other parents as well. We have our own criteria on how we raise our kids. So we should simply reserve our judgement when we see other parents raising their children in a way that is different from ours. What matters is that they should know what they are doing. And so should we.