HEATHER PARIS

Wisdom begins in wonder and we all start out curious. Look at the way babies and young people discover their world. They try to put everything in their mouths, they hear everything, and they ask millions of questions. Every parent has gone through the “why” phase with their child at some point. Kids are so curious and that is what helps them discover new things, learn and become creative. It is our role as parents to encourage curiosity and allow kids permission to discover their world. When kids take an interest in discovering new things, they create a blue print for their life. They are figuring out what they like and dislike, they are gaining perspective, they are learning how things work, they are playing creatively, finding new purposes for things, and learning valuable skills that will serve them well in adulthood. 

Sometimes parents will discourage kids from experimenting because the parent already knows the outcome but that won’t help the child learn. Or the parent may impose limits on the child because they lacked opportunities. Allow the child to try things and discover their potential. For example: My daughter Carrie used to love to do “science experiments.” She once put just about everything she could get her hands on into the freezer to see if it would actually freeze. I could have just told her what would happen but that would not have created an opportunity for her to learn on her own. Or I could have told her that because I did not excel at Math that she had no shot of becoming a scientist. This would not have served her and it would have created a false belief and limitation that could have instantly discouraged her from pursuing a passion. Because I fostered her curiosity though, her passion for experiments remained, science is her favorite class and she dreams of being an anthropologist. 

Curiosity creates an eagerness and passion for learning and discovering. So today, don’t squash a child’s curiosity, let the child discover something new on their own and Live Inspired Now!