13/06/2024
đď¸ Iâve met many a clear sighted child working as an OT. Parenting a child who challenges the âold fashioned rulesâ of raising children is not easy BUT they help us adults see the world through their eyes and challenge us to change.
IMAGINE the adult they will be with this gift. â¨
Some kids see straight through the things which others donât. They see the power structures between adults and children, and ask why the adult gets to give out the stickers (and decide who gets them) whilst the children have to wait. They see how unfair it is that adults can say âthatâs enough cakeâ and expect to be obeyed but if a child says that to an adult, theyâll be laughed at. They see how adults say âwe canât afford a new toyâ but then spend money on the things they want. And they point it out.
They are exceptionally clear sighted. This doesnât make childhood easy. For childhood depends on a degree of accepting âthis is just how things areâ. It requires you to not ask questions and instead to follow the crowd. It requires you to keep listening even if you think itâs a waste of your time. To sit where everyone else is sitting, and to look in the same direction, and put your hand up and not to say âno thanks, Iâd rather hang upside down over thereâ
Getting through childhood requires children to ignore what they see or pretend they didnât notice. And some children just canât do that. They see the world so clearly, and they canât let things lie. They are the truth tellers and that isnât easy to live with. They have a tough time at school because they always ask Why?
But when we listen rather than telling them to be quiet, their perspective challenges us to think deeper. Not to do things âbecause thatâs just how it isâ. They open up a new way of seeing the world to those around them. They provoke change wherever they go.
To have a clear-sighted child is a gift, even though it can take a while to appreciate your luck. And the hardest job as their parents?
To resist the voices telling us that we should make every effort to cloud their vision.
