I had to drop of a thing or two at my brother’s place today. My 4 year old niece tells me that she wanted to send me a message on Dadda’s phone, but Dadda said that the phone said that I am coming. I asked her what she wanted to tell me … she said she wanted to tell me that she was watching Wolfoo on the tv. The conversation was animated with one little hand making some hand gestures in the air. Super cute!
I really enjoy being around kids, especially the talkative, animated, expressive, good-mannered ones who like to interact and play and tell me stories and invite me to play or watch tv with them and then proceed to tell me what is happening or what is going to happen in the story that we’re watching.
The pandemic and lockdown has also had many kids watch more television and have more time to interact with their parents / guardians and everybody else in close proximity of their lives. The confluence of what is being watched and what is learnt in the immediate environment plays out in different ways. I am always fascinated. In some spaces I am part of conversations where the parents are open and trusting me and in other spaces I have no anything because I don’t have children. Also fascinating.
The kids though … remain cute. And the things that they say and some things they do just have a way of crawling under my skin and makes me smile involuntarily.
When I look at infants and toddlers and tweens and inbetweens I am often reminded of the Toni Morrison quote seen in the picture and I wonder … when I look at a child, do they see the spark of love, hope and wonder in my eyes? Do they know that they’re safe here and that I will be there? I hope so.
How do we greet our children? How do we speak to them? How do we reprimand them? Do we have conversations with them? Do we spend time with them? Play with them? Do we know how important it is to play with our children? To spend time with them. Real quality time. Listening time. Do we know how important it is for us to do these things and to intentionally do them? And to tell the children how important and loved they are? Do they know?
I hope so.
Let your eyes light up. Let them feel safe enough to show all their cuteness. Love them and let them know that they are loved.
KarisMatiek 