Lessons on Growth From My Granddaughter

Last month I had the glorious opportunity to visit another state to see my married children and spend precious time with my grandchildren. My oldest granddaughter is almost two and absolutely loves to be outside. She speaks the language of my soul! She is also very curious and keenly aware of the sights and sounds around her. I remember a specific moment when she paused in climbing up the slide as she heard a dog bark. Her eyes got big and she put her fingers to her ear. We talked about the word to label that sound and listened together for it to come again. That same response came each time she heard a rooster crow or an airplane fly overhead. She was keenly aware of her senses and the world around her.

In another moment, we were lying together on the grass looking up at the sky. Suddenly she said, “Blue!” I realized that she was aware of the blue sky above us, and she had connected that with the color words her amazing mama has been teaching her. It was a moment of pure joy for her to make that connection, and it was pure joy for me to be a part of her growth and to celebrate that moment.

Those two experiences are beautiful examples to me of how learning and growth is developmental. My granddaughter is at a very different developmental stage in life than I am. However, learning and growth is taking place for both of us. There isn’t an age or a time where we become fully developed and cease to need learning. And there also isn’t a standard or judgment about what things are more important than others. I may be learning about different types of Eastern meditation to help focus my mind, and my granddaughter may be learning about what different sounds are in her backyard and how to identify colors all around her, but both types of learning propel us each in our current growth and development.

Growth brings Joy. Development brings Joy. Learning brings Joy.

I also learned another sweet lesson from my granddaughter about practicing. She had a series of activities that she liked to do when we played outside, and she repeatedly cycled through them. First we would play with chalk on the sidewalk. Then we would play on the slide–sometimes climbing up the slide and sometimes climbing up the ladder before enjoying the thrill of sliding down. When she got tired of that, she would direct me with delighted words and a pointing finger, “Lay down, lay down!” She would bring me the big ball and lie down right next to me, wanting me to play the game her daddy taught her. Unfortunately, Grandma can’t toss the ball high in the air and catch it like Daddy can. So, we usually ended up chasing down the ball a few times before she returned to the sidewalk and the chalk to start the cycle again. Periodically she explored the sandbox or the hose, and she often stopped to pick clover flowers in the yard. Yet, she always returned to her three favorites.

Again and again she repeated those activities, but by the end of my time visiting, she had increased noticeably in her ability to do more of the skills herself. Her repetition, though amusing, was a form of diligent practice. It propelled her learning.

When I returned home, I was pondering an area of my life I desired to improve. The thought came to my mind that I just needed to follow my granddaughter’s example and repeat it with consistency and the growth would come. Such a beautiful example from my toddler mentor!

This month as we focus on the blessed opportunity to keep learning and growing, may we be diligent in our desires and find joy in extending our own growth and in supporting the growth of others around us!

Lead Photo Credit: Ana Klipper via Unsplash