The Little Mall Explorer

 

While many states are already welcoming student #backtoschool New York State is still a couple of weeks away. With some school shopping still to do, we took our four kids to the local outlets to find shoes. Each of them are as different as their shoe sizes.

I was doing the Dad thing sitting on a bench and waiting, when this little guy ran past me. He must have been about 3 and his expression was very different then most people shopping that day. He was laughing and smiling for no other reason than being able to run free. Being a parent I was a bit concerned that I did not see who he was with right away. Maybe 10 feet behind him was a little sister, clearly trying to keep up with him. She also wanted to stay close to her mom who was only a few steps away. The little brother continued on his #journey but every so often would turn to look over her shoulder to check to see if Mom and little sister were still there. This struck me for a couple of reasons.

First, the mother was not being irresponsible as I heard another quick to criticize shopper say to a spouse when passing by in the opposite direction. Mom was allowing him to #explore safely and follow his natural #curiosity. Second, he was also acting as a model for his little sister, letting her know if was safe to follow him as he called back to her every so often. What struck me most was that even though he was focused on #movingforward he continued to check that his mother was still there, a safe distance away. Isn't this how we should treat all our #children whether it's in #school or #play or #exploration in their own corner of this big world? By doing so we feed their #motivation to learn while providing them with the #comfort of a safe environment. #mentalhealth starts at a young age and it's up to us to #support #growth and curiosity in all their endeavors.