Opportunities to Educate and Nurture Children Are Around Every Corner

As a parent of two impressionable daughters both under the age of 5, I constantly strive to make use of every opportunity I have to mold their young minds into the image of the caring, compassionate adults I hope they will one day become. When you get used to looking for opportunities to teach a lesson or instill a value in day to day life, it actually becomes quite easy…

Multitasking is a necessity when you run a home based business, homeschool your children and strive to balance family life, parenting, household duties and Internet Marketing demands all in the same 24 hour period. So it only stands to reason that I try to make use of every opportunity that comes along to teach a lesson to my two daughters along the way.

Nurturing In the Garden – Of course it all started with a few seed packets and my desire to teach my girls about how things grow. That lesson, in and of itself would have been plenty. But as outdoor projects tend to do, the garden took on a life of its own.

First of all, a few seeds turned into 15 fruits and vegetables that were suddenly lined up to be planted. That of course then resulted in protecting the garden from critters, so the fencing had to be constructed. After that, watering considerations had to be addressed and of course the convenience of a drip hose was just too tempting for my efficiency-minded nature. All of this was quickly followed by a thorough lesson on weeding and the difference between pulling weeds and pulling new sprouts.

But it was my 5 year old that turned this whole project into much more of a life lesson that I had even intended. It all started with a comment she made when we were taking the tomato plants out of their starter pots and putting them in the ground.

Sweat was dripping, sun was beating and I was really thinking more about a shower than teaching a lesson. Then she said to me, “So the way we make these plants give us tomatoes is to put them in the ground and push the dirt around them real hard to make them stand up straight? Then we give them water and make them grow big and strong?” Bingo! Life lesson in the making.

“Yes dear,” I replied, “and it’s a lot like daddy and I do with you girls.” I received a somewhat funny look but then I went on to explain more. I told her that plants grow big and tall when they are firmly rooted in the ground and the earth is solid around them. I told her that’s what we want for her and her sister.

“We support you like the dirt supports the plants,” I explained. “We are always there for you and will hold you up. Then we feed you just like we water the plants. Sometimes that food is the kind you eat and other times it is the food we give your brain when we teach you something new.”

Her eyes were lighting up now as this was becoming a fun way to look at the garden. “So if we take care of our plants when they are little, then they will grow up to give us more good food!” she exclaimed. (I was on a roll here!) I confirmed that indeed that was exactly the way it worked and what would happen as her and her sister grew.

I continued the analogy by explaining that her and her sister would grow and become strong with our help and then they would “produce” great things with their lives as a result. And I concluded by telling her that we would be just as proud of her and her sister as she will be the first time she goes and picks a tomato from the plant that she nurtured from a seed.

I was pretty satisfied at this point, but as all 5 year olds will do, she wanted to continue this even further. “What about all the weeds we get rid of mommy,” what do they mean to me and my sister?” Ok, I took a deep breath and carefully chose my words on this one.

“Well love, weeds can choke plants and keep them from growing to their full potential. And sometimes in life there are people you will meet that can do the same things to you. These are people you want to remove from your “garden,” and make room for the strong and healthy ones.”

At this point, my analogy was starting to get a little heavy for a 5 year old in my opinion, so I was glad for the sudden diversion that put the “weeding out” life lesson on hold. During this momentous discussion, my younger daughter had decided to “plant” an entire pack of seeds in one hole and we went off to retrieve her…

I decided to save the “putting all of one’s eggs in one basket” lesson for another day! But rest assured, it’s coming!