Mum And Dad Look At Me

Writen by Rita Offen

Kids have amazing confidence. Drive or walk through a town and you'll pass kids and notice that bright, bouncy, happy look. Some kids don't walk, they hop and skip all the way. They have bountiful energy.

Such confidence often means they believe they can do anything, and won't give up until they do or get what they want. If we adults had their confidence and beliefs, what amazing things could we achieve - we could accomplish our dreams!

At my martial arts lesson today, a young new boy volunteered, stepped up and performed his Karma form (a series of moves using the Karma weapons - they're like little axes, only made of wood and rubber!) in front of the whole class. Afterwards, as always, our Instructor lead the class in applause for his confidence in doing this. The little boy was so pleased with himself, for 'stepping up' isn't an easy thing to do, especially when you're new. His face beamed, and he turned to look at his mum across the room, searching for recognition, but she gave him no response. Her eyes did not meet his, and with a frown she was looking at a small sticker that had come off one of his Karmas and got stuck in his hair! I watched his bright, proud look drain from his face - the disappointment could not have been more obvious. Clearly, his mother's acknowledgement was of more importance to him than the praise of applause in the room. I know his mum didn't intentionally miss his glance. Had she seen his expectant look, she would, in the true spirit of a proud mum, have praised him and returned the smile. But a boy with a sparkly silver sticker in his hair was more an issue of real concern to her.

We can so often allow other things to cloud our view of our kids' strengths and achievements. In this case, I know, no-one else in the room was bothered about the sticker!

Rita Offen is a Parent and Author of 'The Chilled Parent' - Effective Parenting, Peacefully and Powerfully, in which she shares her experiences and lessons in parenting, with a unique perspective on what's REALLY important in family life. www.chilledparent.com