If you really, really want your kids to lead a purposeful, fulfilling life, teach them
how to create interest and observation from a very young age, with the following tips.
One of the most important things we can do for our children is to help them cultivate two qualities.
Observation and interest, which are interrelated.
Taking interest often comes first.
The more interest you take, the more you will observe, but there is also a positive feedback loop.
The more you observe, the more interest you generate here, it's a step wise
progression of simple, activities to encourage children, to take interest and observe.
ONE, be a role model.
Children take interest when you are interested, especially
small children, they catch your interest and start to observe.
And this indirect interest creates a destiny when they are older, it's a different matter.
They take interest based on their own inner voice.
TWO, exercise their senses by asking them questions.
From the age of two onwards encourage them to listen, sit quietly with
your little ones and ask them to observe what is happening around them.
Do you hear birds?
How many birds do you hear?
Close your eyes and listen again.
What else do you hear?
You can also ask, what do you see around you?
Help them develop a sense of direction.
When I take my two and a half year old granddaughter for
a walk at every crossroad I ask her, should I go this way?
Or that way?
She chooses the correct direction every single time, this keeps her mind very alert.
Sometimes I take her to the terrace and ask, is it morning or evening?
Initially I made two lines when the sun is on one side, it is morning.
And when the sun is on the other side, it is evening.
Now she doesn't use the lines anymore.
She is able to say the sun will rise on this side and the sun will set on this side.
Her sense of direction has developed from a very early age.
When you visit friends, afterwards, ask your children questions like what did you see?
From which direction did we enter?
From the east or the north?
How many sofas did you see?
What colors were they?
What was the color of the wall and the ceiling?
What were the family members wearing?
What were their children talking about?
When you are out walking, invite your little ones to smell the floewers along the way
without plucking them, let them experience the different fragrances of various flowers.
Let them touch the different leaves in the garden, as well as the fabrics in
your home, curtains, towels, clothes, etcetera, and encourage them to feel.
So that they learn to differentiate to their senses touch.
This also helps in the development of their brain.
Their senses will be refined.
THREE, encourage creativity and originality.
When children are really happy, they often make up songs.
Ask them, tell me about the song.
Why is it so funny?
Is it funny or are you funny?
Some children like to draw or paint or make things.
Every child is different.
FOUR, in our observation to explore feelings, emotions, and moods.
Expose children at an early age to their emotions and mood.
Gradually the patterns will emerge from inside all the moods that color everyday life.
Some emotions affect them to the extent of physically making them tired.
For example, when they cry afterwards, they may realize I feel
very retired, by asking them you are highlighting these mods.
Help them to focus on their inner state.
Are you feeling peaceful, calm, still, happy, joyful, or blissful?
This is a spectrum of feelings.
Most adults don't differentiate between happiness, joy, and bliss, but the difference helps us
understand our inner evolution and they are easily learned through interest and observation.
Children will learn that bliss is lighter, happiness is heavier and joy is somewhere in between.
Similarly, when they are sad, help them to discover the spectrum of sadness.
Mastering awareness of their feelings is the direction we want to go in.
When they are tired, and you ask, are you tired?
They will answer YES.
They've known the feeling of tiredness and be able to express it when they are fresh and happy.
And you ask, how does it feel to feel really fresh?
It also registers with their inner trans-sensory faculties
asking a specific question at the right time, hits the mark.
FIVE, observe breathing and energy patterns.
With teenagers, ask them to observe their breathing patterns.
Are you breathing fast or breathing slow?
What is the pattern of your breathing when you're happy?
What is the pattern of your breathing when you are angry?
Which nostril is dominant at various times of the day?
Don't give answers, let them observe and note in their journal.
Then they can study the patterns.
Next they can learn to observe whether they are radiating or absorbing energy at any given moment.
Especially once they meditate.
This again is a subtler thing.
SIX, go deeper within.
Become aware of emptiness.
When they have learned to meditate, ask them as you go deeper, observe the emptiness within you.
How empty are you?
At this stage, they are transcending feelings, innocence.
Let's see how we can inspire them to take interest in various aspects of life.
When they take interest, they will observe.
And through observation, they will finally conclude.