Nursery is good preparation for the ‘School of Hard Knocks’ otherwise known as LIFE. Since most children that age (about 2 usually) are not articulate enough to tell me about their nursery experience I have to describe it from my own point of view.
If you enter the classroom and claim the nearest or nicest toy as ‘mine’ a variety of options may occur: someone may ‘share’ with you, someone may grab it back and yell/cry ‘mine’ themselves or an adult may mediate turn taking or time out of some kind.
The first time a 2 year old announces ‘mine’ even the other young children are likely to share and give the newcomer a bit of space to adjust. After that it becomes only a matter of time until anyone that ‘greedy grabs’ constantly will find themselves in a fight – sometimes a vicious fight with scratching, kicking, punching, biting or all of the above and more.
Cynthia, my 2 year old granddaughter, attended nursery yesterday. Suffice it to say it was not a very happy day. She discovered that most adults uniformly expect her to share and that failure to do so has consequences.
WOW! Same thing as happens at home! Novel eh?
WOW! Same thing as happens at home! Novel eh?
I am learning a lot from this 2 year old – again. I think I learned some of these things repetitively in the past, with all of my own 6 children and several of my other grandkids. I ponder anew my responsibility to share my place and position on the planet.
In scripture Jesus taught that the first commandment is to Love God and the second is to Love Our Neighbor As Ourselves. I have to ask myself, do I? really, do I? even the ones that rob me or punch or bite me?
After teaching the 1st and 2nd commandments Christ then instructed that ‘there is none other commandment greater than these’.
NONE? None at all?
Not much wiggle room there me thinks. Maybe I will have to repent – again. And you - no more greedy grabbing K? or punching or biting, K?!
Let's play nice. ;)