My toddler adores this little IKEA lantern. She loves carrying it around when she’s playing in the yard. Even though it’s breakable and clearly not a toy, I let her use it and enjoy it.
My first instinct when I saw my little girl toting this lantern around was to take it from her. What if she throws it and it shatters? What if she pinches her fingers in the star cut-outs on the top? What if she fell and it broke and she cut herself? So many what ifs.
However, I watched how she carried it. How gently she used it. I realized at that moment that we often underestimate children and their abilities. Don’t get me wrong, I would never let her play with the lantern unsupervised, but if I’m there with her, watching, role-modeling, and guiding, there is so much potential for her to learn and grow.
The value of that lantern is so little to me, yet so great to her.
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What a lovely post. I already find myself doing this with my one year old too, the instinct is to protect, but then I realise what she will learn too. I think it’s so lovely to see toddlers being gentle with precious things and figure that they only got that way because they were allowed to. Xx
It is so hard to let go and let the little ones learn–but let go we must-but as you say–under supervision!!!
beautiful reminder that things are just things, but teaching the children is what really matters.
I love this- both the beauty of the post and the message. As a teacher, I can really tell which of my students have been given the opportunity to explore and which have been sheltered from every experience. There is so much that can be learned from this lantern.
I love the freedom you have given her. What a sweet photo!
*I* love Ikea laterns too! Great post!