It's so easy to get off track with our kids. Life has a way of carrying us off into routines and ways of thinking that just miss the mark of authenticity.
Kids are so impressionable - their souls are forming within them, and socialization molds their behaviors and narrows their options.
We want so much to give them the knowledge and understanding we value that it's easy to overlook the innate compass they carry, and the direction it is calling them to go.
As a parent, it's important to check in with our own compass from time to time. More importantly, it's important to check in with our childrens' compasses. They need support and encouragement to follow their heart's desire. To follow their bliss, as Campbell would say (and my Godfather would often quote).
How do we check in with their compass?
Pay attention.
Ask questions.
Seek feedback from peers and mentors, as different relationships will bring out different aspects of your child, and other perspectives will round out your own.
What you are looking for is whether your child is curious, interested and engaged in the material, work and relationships they are presented with.
If they are not, it doesn't mean bail, it means to check in with the compass and the map and see where the value in continuing lies.
If there's no value in pursuing the current course of work or play, then re-direct. If it's agreed that there is value in continuing, then it's a decision aligned with the deep, inner compass of your child's soul.
Somewhere in between, learning and joy are balanced with challenge and growth. And we all find our way eventually.
Cheers,
Craig
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