April 22, 2017

Quote of the Week

"The law of Love can be best understood through little children" - M.K. Gandhi

The Law Of Love And Children

"The greatest lessons in life if we would but stoop and humble ourselves, we would learn not from grown-up learned men, but from the so-called ignorant children. [...] if we would approach babies in humility and in innocence, we would learn wisdom from them."

Recently in the process of documenting the history of the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, (where Mahatma Gandhi lived from 1917 - 1930), a fellow Kindful Kids parent stumbled upon a beautiful speech that Gandhi gave in the presence of Madame Montessori. We have all read the quote "The Law of Love can be best understood through little children". But the context becomes even more powerful when one learns about the thought processes that underpinned that one sentence! The following passage is beautiful historical evidence of how education was brought to the poorest of the poor community in India.  It also delves into the subtleties, mindful awareness and wholesomeness that a parent can bring into the upbringing of their child." [read more]

Reading Corner

Title: Small Talk: Learning From My Children About What Matters Most
By: Amy Julia Becker
Stages: All

"Almost every day, one of Amy Julia’s children says something or asks something that prompts her to think more carefully. [...] These conversations deepen her relationships with her children, but they also deepen and refine her own understanding of what she believes, why she believes it, and what she hopes to pass along to the next generation. 

Small Talk is a narrative based upon these conversations. It is not a parenting guide. It does not offer prescriptive lessons about how to talk with children. Rather, it tells stories based upon the questions and statements Amy Julia’s children have made about the things that make life good (such as love, kindness, beauty, laughter, and friendship), the things that make life hard (such as death, failure, and tragedy), and what we believe (such as prayer, God, and miracles).  Amy Julia moves in rough chronological order through the basic questions her kids asked when they were very young to the more intellectual and spiritual questions of later childhood." - Publishers

Be the Change

Recently a child I know asked her mother what 'Hope' meant and this sparked a beautiful conversation between them that brought deep reverence for all living beings. This week, based on the article and the book recommendation, try experimenting in such 'small talks' with your children. These talks can become a great catalyst for deeper discussions about our surroundings and life, in turn, bringing to life the most valuable gift of feeling grateful and understanding the 'law of love through the eyes of the children'.