Since the past few weeks, my daughter have a routine when she gets back from school — to let her come in on her own and no-one waiting for her at the gate. Of late, she’s been trying to foster her independence and individuality. She had instructed us that when she gets down from the School van, we should not be waiting for her and we should be on our own — doing our work, attending to chores and not worry about her.
Of course, I make sure the gate is opened and I watch her come in every-time she alights off the School van. I’d then continue to work on my desk while her mother continues with her chores, etc. She would come in and surprise us that she’s indeed home, knocks on the door and we open it. Yes, we have to keep the door locked too.
To a child, even the tiniest of things, routine, happenings are very big — that is their life — brushing the teeth of some of her selected dolls every morning, taking the froggy, doggy, kitty along with her evening walk, letting the froggy watch her while she plays.
Well, to her, those are such big things. The whole routine is very important to her. We should never underestimate and take a kid for granted. There is no such thing as a kid-thing, a kid’s small things.
Respect and treat your kid as an individual and not just an extension of you. Never kid around with your kid. Those ‘small’ things, according to you are indeed the ‘big’ things to them. If you treat them just like they do, ‘big’, they will respect you and let you be part of their ‘big’ things in life.
My daughter, currently vacationing in Delhi, calls me up asking me if I’ve brushed the dolls’ teeth, watered the plants, fed her fish and I’ve to do them live and show it to them, thanks to technology such as FaceTime, Video Calling and the likes. I’ve to go around showing her, her things and she wishing them good morning, talking to them.
It is not about me treating and making my kid happy but more about me being part of her ‘big’ things in her life. I want to be there for her ‘big’ things, even if they seem minutely ‘small’ to me.
So, listen to your kid’s small ‘big’ things.
