The Heart of a Child

I have discovered that great truths are simple. And they come quietly, almost imperceptibly, as they await discovery. They are very patient. And when they are revealed, you see them clearly, simply and quietly.

I have also noted that the greatest of truths will emerge from your heart, not your head. So let us stop thinking and start feeling.

One simple truth is that a child is very fragile. They, like us, can break. They are pliable and can be molded into the unimaginable and even unrecognizable. Or they can be shaped by our kind and loving deeds into loving and dynamic personalities, heroes and even saviors.

If your child is suffering, please do whatever is necessary to begin a healing process. Stop whatever it is that is causing pain, physical or psychological. Place your child in a peaceful, non-threatening place, and let time, enough time, pass by so that his or her body and mind can simply rest and adjust to new, predictable, stable and quieter surroundings.

Healing takes time. It takes patience. And mostly, it takes love that surpasses all understanding, love that clearly says, “You are my life, the air I breathe, my everything”. Love is the antiseptic on the wound. Love keeps the heart from getting infected with more pain, which can ultimately evolve into hate.

The heart of a child, like ours, is naturally loving. Father Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, was right, “There is no such thing as a bad boy”. Very often the heart of a child becomes a reflection of what that child feels. Anger can become a reflection of pain, the inability to focus, a reflection of instability and the uncertainty it spawns, withdrawal a reflection of fear and perfectionism, a reflection of insecurity.

Folks, our world is rapidly becoming unreal. And the coping skills of children are overwhelmed. There is too much stimulation, too much technology, too many demands and far too many minutes that have every moment filled in with every second planned, accounted for and documented.

A child’s fragile heart and developing mind need an abundance of time when he or she , not you, fills in the blank spaces using the fertile ground of imagination. One cannot imagine if you do not have the luxury of time to think. You cannot dream if you cannot soundly sleep. And you cannot love if you cannot feel that someone loves you.

Your heart is your child’s greatest teacher.