Cooperation

During ball play this morning I was reminded of a powerful truth we adults must remember when working with very small children. I usually offer to play catch with children who come to me during ball play. If they want to, I lead the game to show them how it is done. Very small children don't have much experience cooperating with other people so we must be very patient with them. It is the process of learning that is the most important although, as adults, we do have the goal in mind: showing them how the game is played. Another goal is to enrich their life by leading them in a cooperative experience and our lives are also enriched as a result. So in a game of catch, we both benefit! Cooperation with other people enriches the life of every human person and children are no exception. Children, in fact, have a very natural and good desire to cooperate. One little one I was playing with today needed extra patience. At first, she had a hard time understanding what the expectation was and threw the ball all over the place instead of right in my arms. It felt like chaos for a bit but she finally caught on and we had a marvelous time! So, let's make having cooperative experiences with children a priority in our dealings with them! Our lives will be enriched for it for years to come!