Going for an early morning walk is a rejuvenating experience that I cherish every day. It energizes and replenishes me!
One day I happened to see something interesting. A mother was training her daughter to peddle a bicycle by holding it from behind.
Generally, in recent times, most parents buy bicycles that have balancing wheels so that children are safe, and there is no danger of falling.
But interestingly, this mother is from the old school. She didn’t want to take the help of balancing wheels. She was training the child in the way my brother Sameera Damle trained me 27 years ago when balancing wheels were not available in our hometown!
When I analyze this exercise now, I see two predominant things coming out of it in terms of psychology!
1. The mother is giving an assurance to the daughter that she is there behind her to support her in case the child falls down. But at the same time, it is also giving a message to the child that it is the child who has to put the effort to move forward!
2. Balancing is in your hands (whether it is a bicycle or your life). You need to train yourself to balance and should not depend on tools like balancing wheels. They will make you dependent on them. At the same time, they can handicap you if they don’t function properly!
These are important lessons for parents! Do you want to train your child in the ‘art of balancing’? or make it dependent on the ‘balancing wheels’?