My youngest son is four. And always looking for something spectacular to add to his games. The recycling bin is his latest treasure box and who can blame him really? A small piece of paper becomes a map and a jar could be anything from a spaceship to a dog house. A couple of days ago he picked a medicine container with a childproof cap. He asked me to open it, I said it can’t be done. Did I have a reason to say no? Not a solid one anyway. I just figured that opening a medicine container, even though empty might not be the right kind of thing to teach a four-year-old. Well, he insisted. And then insisted again. And I said it can’t be done, I showed him how it’s stuck. He spent another five minutes or so turning it upside down and sideways and then he came to me with his eyes beaming. “You have to push it down first!” he said with a victorious smile. Go figure!
He earned the container and some good old solid self-confidence I am sure. And he taught me three very important lessons:
1. Never give up. No matter what others say, never give up if you believe it can be done.
2. Some things may take time to figure out but perseverance pays off. Always.
3. Assume nothing if you want to make things happen. That simple.
Children are amazing, aren’t they? We all were once, you know…