Callie came to me the other day and wanted to write her very own story in her new journal.
My literary heart filled with pride. I got her settled at the table with her new journal and some pretty pens.
And then she started to write…..
And I started to interject.
Why don’t you write a little straighter on that line baby?
Why don’t you put the title page on there? At the top? Centered would be good.
Why don’t you put more details about the cat there?
And slowly I could see her become more hesitant…..and less confident.
I realized I needed to back off and let her write it.
It’s her story, not mine. It’s so easy as a parent to jump in and try to help. To try to intervene to achieve some kind of perfect moment, perfect picture, perfect story, or perfect creation for our kids. Especially in the world of “Instagramable” moments…..but what I needed to do was sit back, zip my lips, and let her create.
So that’s what I did.
Was the title perfectly centered? No.
Was the cat character’s personality perfectly portrayed. No.
But what did happen is she was able to create and express herself. She was able to cultivate her creativity and build her self expression. She was able to build her confidence and originate an idea. She was so proud to show me her story. She was so excited and wanted to make an “About the Author” page. And that’s way better than a perfectly centered title……
No Comments