1 February

I was reading part of a Steiner essay on Early Childhood a few days ago (as you do) when I was particularly taken by the metaphor he used.

I am paraphrasing, badly, but basically he was saying that when you look at a tiny shoot in the ground, particularly appropriate at this time of year, all you can actually see is the little hint of green. You know that it contains within it, the flower, the brightly coloured petal and the stamen and all the other parts, but they are yet to show themselves. As with plants, children - they have all the elements within them to become a fully formed adult human being, it's all there inside them already, but as yet, unrealised and unformed.

As parents and raisers of children, we need to provide them with the nuturing that is required to bring forth that inner beauty - for as surely as a flower may still be produced if the plant is neglected, one that is carefully and lovingly nurtured will produce the best bloom.

Like I say, badly paraphrased, but I really did like the sentiments expressed. How a child (and plant) is already whole and complete and contains within it all that it will eventually become. Whether it manages it's full potential will depend on what is around it as it matures, so our job is not to mould, co-erce or hothouse our children, but instead provide all the right circumstances for them to flower into their own beauty and fulfil their own potential whatever that may be.