Today (Sunday) we went to a park so our toddler could play a bit and get some fresh air. We had seen the park from the car but never been there to play and we wanted to try something new. Because it's winter most of the swings and structures were not there, but there was a climbing set that requires children to climb up a wall with the help of a rope (and Mommy and Daddy), army boot camp style (though the wall is not completely vertical, it's still very hard), then walk across a long bridge which is just a log with chains on the side for stability, and then finally the child can enjoy all the work and come down a cork-screw slide.
Our toddler isn't fond of heights, so I wasn't sure how she would deal with the long bridge, but she held our hands and did very well, and then absolutely loved the slide which motivated her to do the whole circuit again and again. I was tired and a bit cold, but I was amazed at how she persevered. Not only that, but she got better and better at crossing the bridge and walking on the log.
I think so many of us are hard on ourselves and challenge ourselves all the time, but the problem is that we are never happy. By the time we have achieved what we had set out to do, we have already set ourselves new goals and new challenges so that we don't even take the time to consider how much we have achieved. It was nice to see her do all the work, and to see how much progress she made in just one session. It was nice to challenge someone else and to see her succeed. I know I do it as a teacher all the time, but the results are usually mixed and not always clear-cut.
I'm not sure how to explain this properly, but there was something about seeing HER accept a challenge and keep at it and then witnessing the progress that was hugely satisfying. I was a proud mom on the playground and it filled me with all kinds of amazement for my (not so little) baby, and I'm very thankful for that.
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