Fragile and needy, a child comes into the world—a world in which we are fond of displaying strength, intelligence, and free will. The child, on the other hand, is dependent, and its existence is at stake. They can do what we adults have forgotten: they are unconditionally devoted to their surroundings, and they love us so strongly that they identify completely with us, so strongly that they absorb and adopt our way of being, speaking, feeling, and thinking. This takes years. Sometimes we lack the patience to have someone around us who is so weak, naive, and dependent.
Birth rates are dropping in many countries; children’s educators and teachers are in demand everywhere. When a child smiles tenderly at us, are we ready to shed our tough exterior and discover the strength of our weakness? When a child throws a tantrum and we can’t understand them, are we prepared to remain sympathetic, tolerant, and patient? When a child needs us physically, emotionally, or spiritually, are we prepared to live and be in their presence in such a way that they feel comfortable in their body, healthy and strong, and can make the world their own?
A small child needs our kindness, our inner strength, and our love. The more we discover and cultivate this, the better the child will succeed. Friedrich Froebel’s word “kindergarten” [child garden] can be found in the American, French, and even Japanese languages for good reason. An environment in which children thrive turns the whole earth into a garden. Living and working with children is an invitation to discover, sometimes to invent, the most human of human qualities, and thus to awaken the child, the becoming, within us.
Translation Laura Liska
Photo Pramod Kumar Sharma
