Silence
I was driving my van load of kids, eight total, from their preschool to our children's center. As per usual I was telling them to remember to use quiet voices. Then one of the kids piped up, "Hey let's play the quiet game."
Now for those of you who don't know about the quiet games, it is a game invented by adults I'm sure, in which you have to see who can stay quiet the longest. It tends to be suggested when kids are getting really crazy so the adult can have a few moments of peace.
Now this time a child had suggested it and the other kids seemed interested in playing, so I upped the stakes. "I'll give a sticker to anyone who can stay quiet all the way to H.H. (the children's center)"
Well a couple of kids yelled out, "See how quiet I am being" I reminded them that this too was talking. Then they settled down and started to play in earnest.
If you have ever played the quiet games with small children (these kids were ages 3 to 5) you know that it never last more than a few blessed minutes, if that. But these kids surprised me. As we drove I kept waiting for someone to burst. It never happened. The whole van was deadly silent all the way to H.H.
I started wondering what they were thinking about as we rode along silently. I remembered being that age, lying quietly in bed, and actually have rather profound thoughts. I remembering thinking about my relationship to my family, God, and of course how I could acquire a real Cabbage Patch doll instead of the fake one I'd received.
I also wondered if these kids were missing silence in their little lives. Today kids are thrown into noisy preschools as soon as possible, and often don't leave until 6 or later. As they transition into elementary school, they can no longer leave at 3, but get sent into afterschool care. They rarely have time to be by themselves. Kids love action, noise and energy, but to much of it makes them worn out and anxious. In Tennessee the preschool rating system wanted you to have a quiet area in your classroom. (I doubt this is true is Georgia. I was really shocked by their low standards for preschools when I moved here.) The quiet area really helped a lot of kids in my class to de-stress and deal with anxiety.
In this noisy world how can we create silent spaces for ourselves and our children?
Now for those of you who don't know about the quiet games, it is a game invented by adults I'm sure, in which you have to see who can stay quiet the longest. It tends to be suggested when kids are getting really crazy so the adult can have a few moments of peace.
Now this time a child had suggested it and the other kids seemed interested in playing, so I upped the stakes. "I'll give a sticker to anyone who can stay quiet all the way to H.H. (the children's center)"
Well a couple of kids yelled out, "See how quiet I am being" I reminded them that this too was talking. Then they settled down and started to play in earnest.
If you have ever played the quiet games with small children (these kids were ages 3 to 5) you know that it never last more than a few blessed minutes, if that. But these kids surprised me. As we drove I kept waiting for someone to burst. It never happened. The whole van was deadly silent all the way to H.H.
I started wondering what they were thinking about as we rode along silently. I remembered being that age, lying quietly in bed, and actually have rather profound thoughts. I remembering thinking about my relationship to my family, God, and of course how I could acquire a real Cabbage Patch doll instead of the fake one I'd received.
I also wondered if these kids were missing silence in their little lives. Today kids are thrown into noisy preschools as soon as possible, and often don't leave until 6 or later. As they transition into elementary school, they can no longer leave at 3, but get sent into afterschool care. They rarely have time to be by themselves. Kids love action, noise and energy, but to much of it makes them worn out and anxious. In Tennessee the preschool rating system wanted you to have a quiet area in your classroom. (I doubt this is true is Georgia. I was really shocked by their low standards for preschools when I moved here.) The quiet area really helped a lot of kids in my class to de-stress and deal with anxiety.
In this noisy world how can we create silent spaces for ourselves and our children?
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