Thursday, May 16, 2013

Courage to Stumble


This week’s thought is more for the parent than for the child.  

In a society that seems more and more bent on turning out perfect kids, it is imperative that we let our children know that the world does not end if they stumble and fall. 

Allow your child to be a child.  We learn from stumbles, bumbles and falls.

I want Michael to share a story from his past.

Hi,
When I was the music director for a church here in Seattle in the early 80’s I invited kids to perform every Sunday night.

One of my kids was a girl named Cheryl.  When she was 9 she was going through an awkward stage and for several months, every time I scheduled Cheryl to perform she would mess up. 

Time passed.

When I came back to Seattle in 2002 for a 95th anniversary of that church   Cheryl was there, now a lovely young woman, and profusely thanked me for not giving up on her during those days. 

Had I cut her off from performing it could have done a gross injustice to her self-esteem and her musical growth.

Stumbles are okay.  It is how we learn.

And remember, your child is not his/her mistakes. 


Carolyn Biggs
Steps and Skips
Tips for the Developing Student

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