She caught her tears with a spoon…

A few weeks ago, I was in a 3 & 4-year-old classroom working with a teacher.  In my role as a coach, I do a lot of observing, and here’s a little nugget that touched me…

The kids were sitting at the table, eating their morning snack.  It was “bring your own snack from home day”, so everyone had something different to eat.  Two children, a boy, and a girl had a little scuffle because he reached over to get some of her food and she wouldn’t let him.  It escalated to the point where the teacher needed to intervene, but not before there were some tears shed.

As I watched them settle down afterward, the little girl, who was eating yogurt, put the spoon on her cheek and scooped the tears that were still coming down, wiping them gently, giving them significance and meaning.   It was a tender moment of self-comfort and very poignant for me – I almost felt as if I were invading her privacy by watching but she was oblivious to my presence next to her.  I wondered what she was thinking as she quietly soothed herself and watched as a moment later she joined the conversation with her friends and everything was okay again.   One thing that amazes me about kids is how quickly they make peace after a conflict with a friend!

Observing children’s behavior gives us insight into who they are, what they need, and how we can lead them through the journey of figuring out the world around them.  It also helps us grow if we are willing to take the time.

If only we could be so quick to forgive and forget, moving on with the business of living life together.
There’s so much to learn from children.