I have been a parent for 3 years and am constantly amazed at how much children have to offer us when we choose to listen. Keep reading and you will see what I am talking about.
How can children teach us anything at all?
With no ego or collection of life experiences to influence their every thought they are more able to connect with their body & mind in a way most of us adults have long forgotten.
Before we impose any sense of what is unsafe or wrong they act without thought of consequence, dominated exclusively by their desires. It may not always be the correct choice when it comes to keeping them safe but we always have something to learn from their choices regardless.
Intuition
An important word which keeps coming up is intuition. Kids are born with a connection to that spiritual inner compass we adults must work at reconnecting with.
It keeps them safe and it keeps them healthy, but the way they grow up will always be a reflection of what they see & experience so in time they will inevitably become just like us.
Savings account for their future
Before I continue I would like to extend a loving thanks to my three year old son Esteban & one year old daughter Luna who have both been such wonderful teachers. As a gift back to them I will start a Steemit account in their name and move the rewards from this post into that account & will continue to do the same for every post which is inspired by their wisdom.
By the time they are old enough to know what to do with it Steem will be well over $100 and will represent a tidy sum and perfect entry point to the wonderful world of crypto.
So... what have my kids taught me?
It is my intention to embellish on some of the subjects listed below in later posts.
Polyphasic sleep patterns
They sleep when they feel tired which is 2 or 3 times a day for shorter periods. By the age of three they tend to replicate our monophasic sleep pattern, but is this the optimum way to sleep? I've done a fair bit of research on this subject and can say with certainty that polyphasic rewards us more energy than monophasic.
No pillows
It is thought that the size of a baby's head proportionate to it's body means that they don't need pillows. Yet even at the age of three when their dimensions are much more similar to adults they still instinctively sleep without one. My investigation of this subject has just begun but I am already convinced we are getting something very wrong in the way we sleep. Even beds have a big question mark over them now for there is a growing movement of people who no longer sleep in them and I am looking forward to telling you why.
Vegan diet
The first time Esteban & Luna tried meat they spat it out. They instinctively didn't like the way it felt in their mouths. Perhaps other parents can recall this moment? Everyone knows babies eat a vegan diet, yet as they grow older they want to eat more and more like us. But are we teaching them the right lessons? As a (mostly) vegan I think you can guess what I am going to tell you here, but it may not be what you expect. Notice that I am not labelling myself as a vegan.
Eating & not eating
There is a disconnection from the three meal a day regime for children, especially babies who cry regularly throughout the day to let their mothers know they are hungry. Further to this there are times when (after the age of one) they decide they are not hungry. As parents we tend to worry and do our best to get food down them... often leading us to give them the wrong kind of food. Could it be that we are denying them their instinctive desire to fast? We can be in no doubt that there are multiple benefits to fasting.
Involuntary dancing & singing
Without the involvement of the ego, dancing and singing simply happens when there is music. It is such a pleasure to see this involuntary movement of the body from a very young age. All parents will know what I am talking about. Even at three Esteban still seems to have no control when he hears a song he likes. Dancing and singing is simply a side effect of the music. So, what has happened to us adults? Why don't we FEEL the music and let it flow through our body as they do? Why do we care so much about the way we look & sound and what other people are thinking?
Never give up till you get what you want!
Yes it's annoying as a parent when all you want is some peace and quiet, but kids remind us clearly of the passion with which they desire things. This passion is usually so intense they are prepared to scream for it till they are coughing and at the point of vomiting. On a few occasions I've seen Esteban take it beyond this point after which there is little else we can do but give in to his desire.
Learn two languages with ease
Esteban is not even conscious of it yet he is learning two languages at the same time. Sabrina always speaks to him in French, I speak to him in English and he always responds in the corresponding language. In many ways his French vocabulary is already better than mine despite my years of trying to remember the words. Could it be that the most effective kind of learning doesn't happen in a classroom and there is no 'trying' required?
Forgiveness
Many times I have seen Esteban angry with his mother for being the imposer of rules he doesn't like. Yet no matter how much he screams and shouts there is always a clear sense of forgiveness when he is calm again, which may be nothing more than a few moments later. Kids don't carry the past into their present as much as we do unless they are in some way traumatised by what is happening.
Energy not words
I have seen the way in which they respond more to our energy than our words and they are very good at reading people, often deciding (for reasons unknown to us) they don't want to spend time with particular people. What can they teach us about the way in which we interact with people? Are we perhaps putting too much attention on the words rather than on the energy of a person?
Final Thoughts
This list will never stop growing as long as I stay connected with my children.
I invite all parents to add to the list in the comments below & look forward to expanding on a few of these lessons. Particularly the pillow & bed story which I am currently investigating.
Our love to you all from France!
Who is 
?
?He was a London based filmmaker until he sold everything and set out on a barefoot journey around the world, currently based in the south of France.
He is travelling the world with his partner & two children and with no bank account he has been living on STEEM & crypto for over a year.
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