Can we slow down and smell the roses?
We live in a world that is so busy constantly. In fact, I will be bold enough to say that we worship speed and value being inundated with information all the time. Social media, our mobiles etc. are all about using technology to speed up information and to be constantly informed.
Our children live in such a world and teachers spend much of their time keeping pace with the pressure of teaching, and at the same time trying to get children to value a slower pace.
Worshipping speed and the overload of information that it can give does not lead to thinking through a balanced understanding of issues.
However, our children are born into the notion that speed and amount of information measures knowledge.
There are many advantages in teaching your child the advantage of slowing down
There are many advantages in teaching your child the advantage of slowing down. Firstly, it invites them to process the information gently and it highlights the importance of ensuring that the information so gained is not destroyed by the overload of extra information that comes in so quickly.
Teachers recognise that simply gaining more information fast does not necessarily teach a child anymore. They recognise and value the importance of processing information carefully and with attention to detail.
The following thoughts help us support our children who are overly exposed to information:
When a child uses internet to gather information, take time with them to decipher what is real and not so real in evaluating information.
Engage in activities with your child that are single based. This means simply enjoy bike rides or ice creams together. Enjoyment does not need to be any more complicated.
When you choose family holidays, choose holidays that are not overcomplicated. Do you find for example too many visitors interrupt such simple time with family? Is it necessary to plan holidays that are entertaining every single day?
Activities such as sitting together and working on a cross word puzzle are excellent opportunities to simply stay focussed together on one activity for a prolonged period.
Teach your child that overstimulation can lead to fatigue and does not give clarity.
Demonstrate by your own example how working slowly and carefully through issues is a better way to solve problems and feel successful in outcomes.
We simply teach our children that slowing down and taking time to achieve tasks has within it much reward. We smell the roses when we successfully feel satisfied in our strong and steady achievements.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”