I have had a fabulous week doing all my classes. My Writing Wizards are all learning the art of writing in my online classroom and can almost write the whole alphabet now. My creative writing group has grown, and the stories are so magical and fabulous, and my Girl Power group is producing the most beautiful female leaders for our future. I really can see how nurturing the seed will make it bloom whether planting seeds in the garden (I am becoming a plant enthusiast) or nurturing the seeds we see in our tamariki.
Today in Girl Power we learnt about just this through the whakatauki - Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai. We learnt that we all need love and care to fully realise our potential.
We made a list of all the ways we could nurture those around us. Some ideas included: noticing what others are good at; congratulating someone when they have overcome a challenge; asking someone if they need a hug or help; inviting someone to hang out; respecting someone's opinions even if different to ours. It got me thinking... I'm pretty good at nurturing the kids in my life, but how good am I at doing this with the adults in my life - my friends and family?
We then had to look at our list and see which ones we do for ourselves. How many people are able to celebrate their achievements? Give themselves a quiet day when they are struggling? Ask for help? We tend to walk through life, often not even nurturing the seed that is us.
This week I set the girls a challenge. The challenge is to ask people how they are. One girl said nobody asks her how she is going. We often forget. So I made a point of asking her how she was going. She replied 'ok'. So, the next challenge was: you are not allowed to answer with one word like ok, good, fine. You need to plant the seed of honesty and truly answer how you are feeling. The girl above actually replied that she could be doing better, she was beginning to feel insecure about her body. This led to a beautiful conversation about how this is totally normal for pre-teens and teens who are noticing their bodies change. We have to get used to the new us and learn to love our new selves, even with all the crazy emotions.
So I challenge you to ask your family members how they are truly feeling and answer with the seed of truth. Growth takes time, but with a lot of love and care we can build a better relationship with ourselves and those around us.
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