To children and to myself

I tell myself what I say to children and do not say what I would not. I learned to take better care of myself thanks to children. – “A Child is a World” by Kim So-yeong.

My daughter confessed her anxiety about going back to school. After a year of trying to make friends she saw online more frequently than in person, she now has to make new friends again. “What if I cannot make friends?” she asked. “I was worried about the same thing,” I replied after thinking about it. “But you do not have to be good at making friends. You can take as much time as you need.”

What I told her was what I needed to hear as a child. Back then and still now, fear of failure washes over me. I wish someone had told me that it is only natural to have fear and it takes time and practice to excel in something.

I see many parents trying to be kind to their children, but, more often than not, they are harsh on themselves. No one is ready and equipped with perfect parenting skills when their baby is born. The author provides food for thought by sharing what she saw and heard from children. When I read that she tells herself what she says to children, I decided to be kinder to myself as I am to my daughter.

Spring is around the corner, yet it is still cold. It is a perfect time to be gentle on and take better care of others and ourselves.