The Ugly Duckling
Once there was a mother duck that had a nest full of eggs. She was excited for the day that they would hatch and soon they did hatch. But to the mother ducks dismay, one of the ducklings was exceptionally large and ugly. The other ducklings just could not leave the ugly ducking alone and pestered him mercilessly.
Eventually, the large and ugly duckling decided that it would be better for everyone if he left and so he ran away. One day after wandering alone for a long time the ugly duckling saw a flock of magnificent birds flying in the sky. He was so entranced that he flew after them and followed them to a beautiful lake. As he landed in the water he looked down at his reflection and saw a beautiful swan. The ugly duckling had discovered who he was.
Every child is a cygnet growing into a swan.
This beautifully told fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson carries a profound message about the importance of helping our children understand and accept who they are.
Knowledge of our value and our preciousness in the world can change everything, both present and future.
Knowledge of our value and our preciousness in the world can change everything, both present and future. It can open up the world to a child, when he knows who he is and that it is enough.
Our children are no ordinary beings. They are glorious and eternal.
This is a difficult message to give to children if we are forever finding fault with their childishness. The message that they are acceptable and enough is hard to send if we let them know through our own irritation, tiredness and frustration that they are bothersome, too noisy, too messy, not reading well enough, not neat enough, are poor spellers, and on and on.
In this difficult world there will be plenty of voices which will tell our children that they are not enough, that they lack beauty, grace or intelligence. But we know better. We know they are cygnet’s just needing time to become swans.
Take the time, even small amounts of time to be present.
So how can we send that message to them, knowing that we will be tired, we will be frustrated and they will be messy and noisy? We can take the time, even small amounts of time to be present. Children need a parent’s presence, time & attention.
We can kneel down on their level, look them in the eye and give a hug and say I love you. We can take the time to listen when they are talking rather than just working away and mumbling mmmmmm every now and then. We can show interest, real interest, in what children are interested in whether it is rocks, worms or mud. We can inspire them and not require. We can understand that they are not miniature adults and will not think like we do. We can accept that and give them space and time to be children.
Being present, even for small amounts of time sends a powerful message of acceptance and love. It is truly a gift that we can give to those we love, especially our own children.
Our children are no ordinary beings. They are glorious and eternal. If we can give them our presence and acceptance they will be able to look at their own reflections and see beyond their imperfections and self doubts and recognize who they are.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Self Care for Better Parenting – Part 2
- Self Care for Better Parenting – Part 1
- Got Kids 24/7 – 2 Tips to make life easier
- The Screen Free Experiment
- 5 Tips to Put Family first
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Beautiful, Mary Ann, simply beautiful!