Hold Space for Your Child

What do I mean by that? I’d like to recount a known story about Thomas Edison. (not sure if it’s a true story but it definitely drives the point home!)

As a young boy Edison came home one day and handed his mother a letter given to him by his teacher. She read it out loud to him: “Dear Mrs Edison, Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have good enough teachers to train him. Please teach him yourself.” From that point on, he was home schooled by his mom. Years after she died, Edison found the letter his teacher had sent home and it actually read: “Your son is mentally deficient. We cannot let him attend our school anymore. He is expelled.” As we all know it, Thomas Edison grew up to become one of the greatest inventors of his time thanks to the space that his mom held for him!!!!

So, what do I mean by holding space for your child?! I mean envisioning your child in the highest light without setting any barriers and limitations and then holding that space for them in order to grow into the magnificent adults they are meant to become. It is also very powerful as a parent to recognize that the limitations we usually set on our children are in fact our own. By removing our own fears and limitations, we create and hold greater space for our children to flourish.

Let’s get practical:
1. Take 5 minutes of your day. Ideally when you wake up or just before going to bed to take a deep breath, close your eyes and envision your child as the most amazing version of themselves. Hold that vision and really feel how that would feel for you and for your child.

2. Awareness of our own limitations is the first step into creating and holding space for our child. Become aware of the words you say to your child. If some words you use are limiting then question the source of your own limited belief.