The boys are working on a little Arts N' Crafts type sewing project. Every day or so, I'm giving them a new Thread to sew with. I was a little hesitant to start them sewing, I thought they'd be too impatient, loose their needles or poke themselves. But it turns out they are really good at it. It was a lesson for me- in that we need to give our little ones the room to learn and explore- trusting that it's not gonna always be perfect and sometimes they may get hurt.
I've been reading Ben Hewitt's book "Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting Off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconneting with the Natural World". Ben shares his journey of letting his children learn as they wish- by allowing their interests to guide them in a love of learning. In one account he tells how he gave each of his boys a pocket knife when they were 4 years old. With some guidance he let them learn to carve and whittle wood or sticks. I felt a little sense of shock when I read this and thought of my boys- "they'd get hurt". But then I remember all the things that I have "let" happen because I knew they would learn from their experience.
It may not be pocket knives- but by giving them an chance to explore with (Mama's) tools I consider to use carefully, I am giving them an opportunity take responsibility using these special tools, and that seems to give them a sense of pride.
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