Labor Day, the holiday of the working women and men in our country, a holiday honoring us for what we do day in and day out. When what you do everyday is something you love and are passionate about, it’s hard to consider it ‘work’.
The anonymous quote, “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” holds more true today than ever before. In this fast paced world, with the use of computers and smartphone technology, getting ‘away’ from work is almost impossible. Finding the balance between work and the rest of one’s life at times can seem impossible, but is definitely made easier when the ‘job’ doesn’t feel like a job at all.
It’s equally important to ensure our children’s’ ‘jobs’ are loved as well. Children’s jobs? You might be asking yourself what jobs can a 2 year old, 6 year old, 10 year old possibly have. The job children have day in and day out is learning….learning is the job every child holds. Loving the job of learning will take children to places we have yet to imagine.
Helping a child to love learning can be trying, but knowing when to push a little more or step back can really alter the how a child perceives learning. Challenges are adventures that need careful navigation. Becoming a partner in discovery of these adventures helps a child realize challenges can be overcome and are not insurmountable. Those easy “lessons” are opportunities for the adult to step back and follow the child’s lead. These opportunities help to build independence and practice leadership skills. Those lessons that keep reappearing can be looked at as steps and with every time the child get to practice her/his skills building confidence and positive self-esteem. And let’s not forget the lessons that do not result in the intended or anticipated outcome. These lessons provide the opportunity for child and adult to reevaluate the strategy and prove that we are all human. The less than perfect lessons help a child realize it is okay to not be perfect and in that imperfection is beauty. These are the lessons that are sometimes most important.
The love of learning will span a child’s lifetime and influence every decision.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
