First I want to clarify the "push" that I would not like to have misunderstandings. I am a great advocate of respectful education, that is, that adults play a complementary role of facilitators of experiences and control of accident risks, but not of continuing instructors. That it is the child himself who decides on his learning pace and his conquests of development without the adults anticipating them.
But I think that there are times when we must help them overcome situations where they have been blocked with a small impulse (hence the expression of "pushing" the child). I am going to give you an example that happened to me yesterday on the beach.
The beach, as I have said on another occasion, seems like a unique environment for my children to enjoy outdoor activities. With the first, the process of incorporation, initially to the sand and then to the sea, was natural and progressive, without having to do anything special.
In the case of the girl, who is now 22 months old, the incorporation into the beach elements has been a bit slower. His character is more assertive (he has criteria about what he wants and what he doesn't and he expresses it with intensity) and from the first day the sand perceived it as a strange element and it was difficult to get out of the towel, but as they passed days and her mother invited her with toys out of the towel or her brother with the shovel and bucket, incorporated enough confidence and dared to walk the sandy surface.
The circumstance that occurred yesterday was with the sea. Just as his brother since three months has gone with us to a pool to play in the water, in his case he has rejected this element (we thought the temperature was unpleasant to him). After a few days staying on the shore with an upset face and seeing his brother playing in the pools that form the tide when going down, yesterday I decided to put it in one of them. The expression of disgust and rejection did not last more than 30 seconds (the conditions were especially good: water temperature, sun, his brother, me giving her support) and then began to splash with satisfaction.
It was hard for me to dare because it was an act that surpassed the respect for his expression of not wanting to go to the water but I put forward my idea that an enriching experience was being lost. It went well but could have gone wrong (tears, tantrum and having to get out of the water, making this a negative experience that would further delay access to the beach and the sea). The question is: Do you think it is worthwhile, in certain situations, to give a “push” to a child so that he can experience something that you think is beneficial?
Image | Flickr (Photos8)
In Babies and more | Tell us your story: a upbringing with respect for David, The emotions of babies
