On our vacation last week my 4 and 6 year old boys showed me a characteristic that I particularly admired. It can be summed up in one word - bravery. I "tattooed" it on a rock to help remember this mileSTONE. (I couldn't resist!)
We went with cousins to a unique place called the City Museum where they crawled and explored their way through a hundred-year-old warehouse full of tunnels, slides, caves, and secret passageways. An adventurous soul could never get bored there. I stayed back to be with my mom. We both weren't that interested in crawling through tiny spaces and finding ourselves ending in a different place than we had begun. I'm glad I stayed back because what I saw above my head was a sight to see. Through a wire tube tunnel high above my head I saw all of my family crawling, and J was leading the whole crew! J is small for his age and my brother is tall for his age of 40+ so I thought it was amazing that J was brave enough to crawl through the unknown with no one leading the way.
Later, my family came to excitedly tell me that J and M had both voluntarily gone down a slide that was nearly vertical and another one that was three stories long. Later M climbed up a rope to go on an even bigger vertical one! What!? I had seen the vertical slide earlier and immediately dismissed it in my mind as something that my kids would do. I made sure to tell them, as some of my family did as well, that they were both brave. J tends to be more open to trying new and hard physical things, but I would tell of different good qualities of M. So there was a big smile on my face because I love when they challenge themselves! (And when they don't make me do it too, haha.)
The same museum had a ferris wheel on the roof of the ten story building and the boys had no fear! Later in the trip their daddy took them to a store that had a ferris wheel and M came home excitedly telling me that he had gone on it all by himself! Earlier on our trip my boys rode up to the top of the St. Louis Arch with no hesitation. No fear of heights in this family.
I know my boys are getting older and that helps with not being as fearful of trying new things, but it still is inspiring to see. Having other people around to support and encourage you doesn't hurt either. M's school put on a special one time video call with a chess grandmaster and he encouraged the kids that mistakes the first time are fine and needed to learn. What's bad is if you try the same thing again. I try to encourage my kids and myself to have a growth mindset that encourages you to try new things and that mistakes are part of the learning process. It's important to try and practice new things a lot so that the neurons in your brain can make connections. Being fearful of making mistakes is a giant that can take someone of any age down, it seems. My sister-in-law put this sign about mistakes up after her very smart, now teenage son struggled with getting something wrong. We've recently found the super skills videos at adaptedmind.com helpful for understanding the growth mindset concept.
I can take note for my own life to grab life by the horns and not be scared of mistakes or new things because God is with me and I can find strength in Him. It's hard when, after years of repetition, some of our identity has taken root in not trying hard things. I hope to do what I can to help the next generation not be afraid of trying hard things. I wrote a liturgy for my elementary-aged art students to say at the beginning of every class. It's a good reminder for me and for them to try new things and give God the glory. My heart smiles every time I hear them say their line - "And God said it was good."
Here we will notice and appreciate beautiful things.
And God said it was good.
Here we will reflect who God is by using the creativity He has given each of us.
And God said it was good.
Here we will do hard things and try new things together, encouraging each other along the way.
And God said it was good.
On our way home from the vacation we came up with a creative way to stretch our legs by searching for Halloween costumes. I asked them if we were to go to a special Halloween store where they may be scared, could they handle it? M shouts that yes he's brave now, that he's getting ready for Halloween. J says he is too, that he knows who is with him if he gets scared- God, Elohim. Such wisdom from a little one! I’m so thankful that his family, church, and school pour truth into him and that that name and characteristic of God is planted there in his sweet little heart.
Lord,
Thank you for giving the gift of bravery to my kids! May their bravery sleigh giants in Your name. Help their adventurous spirit continue and may they completely and wholeheartedly depend on you!
Help me be brave in doing what You’ve called me to do in raising these little ones and in loving You and others.
Amen.