Most of us can remember how long the summers used to seem and how long it was from birthday to birthday. When we were five, it seemed we'd never get to be ten. And at ten, it seemed it would be forever until we were twenty. So often, it is only by helping children look back at where they have been that they can see they are growing at all.

Outside Growing

And they're growing in so many ways! There are outward signs that we can help children notice, like clothes that get outgrown, pencil marks on a doorjamb that move up as they get taller. We can also remind them of things they've learned to do that they wouldn't have been able to do a month or a year before, such as tying a shoe or riding a tricycle.

Inside Growing

But while that kind of growing brings a great deal of satisfaction to children and their parents and teachers, it's their inside growth we particularly need to help them appreciate. Growing on the inside includes such things as learning to wait, learning to keep on trying, being able to talk about their feelings and to express those feelings in constructive ways. When you applaud "inside growing," you may be helping your child feel even more proud than when you move that line on the doorjamb up another inch.

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