Think about a time you stayed quiet when all you really wanted to do was shout. Perhaps, it was because you wanted to be heard but no one seemed to be listening? The sound of silence is a voice?
Ted lived in the woods, really like a hermit. He was brilliant but had no desire to pursue a career, date or cultivate friendships. His parents had left him an inheritance, so he was wealthy. Still, nothing held his interest for long and even though he didn’t make any attempt to take his life, he was not excited about living.
Ted was not always this way.
Time spent in counselling revealed past traumatic childhood experiences at some point.
His siblings heckled him relentlessly about things he loved one of which was his name because of its wholesome meaning once they’d learned it. They called him names like “sissy”.
His parents “punished” him for being “naughty” by taking whatever he loved away.
“…everything I loved I lost”, he’d cried in one of those sessions.
So he learned to mask his excitement, felt afraid to love anything, and embraced seclusion.
It took many days of counselling and continually remembering that he was now grown and his family could not take the things he loved from him anymore.
Ted’s story is heartbreaking. Thankfully, it ends well as he gets on with living, starts to use his full name again and pursue his dreams.
Now I think it would be nice to learn how to raise and discipline children in a healthy way. Sort of like finding the balance between correction and mistreatment.
QUESTIONS
What might Ted’s parents have done differently? Or maybe share an experience raising a child in the comment?
What helpful resource could you recommend for childcare?
Parenting is such a huge responsibility and we could all learn a thing or two about what works. Yes?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Listen to the sound of silence and you might hear a voice seeking a healthy connection.
Need help with resource materials on homeschooling? Visit https://allinonehomeschool.com/
Here is a link to an older post on homeschooling.
Nicely put together in a clear concise language.
I appreciate the feedback. Thank you
A good read. Such a delicate task parenting is!
Parenting like most skills should be learned I suppose. Thank you Salome.
Nice write-up.
I think the best way to punish children would be to make them take actions to correct their mistakes, instead of taking away what they love.
Thumbs Up!
Thank you Christy. That seems like a more positive step indeed.