What Our Children Taught Us About Slowing Down
Children notice beetles, puddles and clouds that adults walk straight past. Slowing down with children can teach us to notice again.
Published 2 min read
A walk to the shop with a three-year-old can take forty minutes. There are snails to inspect, puddles to test and dogs to greet. For a busy adult, it can be maddening.
For a while I tried to hurry these walks. Eventually I gave up, and something changed. I started to notice things too.
Children live at a different pace
Children are not in a hurry because they are not trying to get anywhere. The walk is the point. Every crack in the pavement is interesting.
Adults spend much of life focused on the next thing. Slowing down with children reminds us that the present moment is where life actually happens.
What slowing down gives a family
When we slow down, children feel it. They feel that we have time for them. Conversations become longer and deeper. Small moments become memorable.
Slowing down also reduces stress for everyone. Rushed mornings and hurried evenings fill a home with tension. A little extra time can change the mood of a whole day.
Small ways to slow down
Leave ten minutes earlier so the walk to school is not a race. Keep one weekend morning free of plans. Let a child finish a story without interrupting.
Children are not slow. They are simply paying attention.
Keeping the slow moments
Slow moments rarely make it into photo albums. Nobody photographs a snail inspection. But these are often the moments parents miss most when children grow up.
Try capturing one slow moment a week. A photograph of a puddle stomp, a note about a question asked on a walk. Years from now, these will be some of your most treasured memories.
Written by
Petro writes about family rituals, storytelling and the small moments that hold a family together.
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