There’s something about cuckoo clocks that fascinates me. I don’t know if it’s the cute little figurines, the incredible craftsmanship, the music, the little bird that pops out every hour. Or maybe it’s simply the cherished memory of having gazed in wonder as a curious child, at the one that hung at the bottom of the steep stairs of our Virginia farmhouse.
It hung next to the towering grandfather clock that would chime, slightly after the birdie came popping out. Its loud, deep ring would echo through the hallway. If you happened to be standing on the cold, slate tiles of that hall, you would feel those vibrations as it rang.
There was this one tile just below the very last step of the stairway, that if you stepped on it just right, it would click. I loved that sound and would make sure to step on it every morning just to hear and feel that click. I also made sure to enter the hallway at just the right time so I could hear, feel and watch the “magic” of the clocks. I was such a vestibular child so all of these noises and vibrations were glorious to me. Maybe that’s part of my fascination with the cuckoo clock?
Why do I share all of this? Because I’m sure, you parents out there have already noticed these kinds of little things in your own children. Encourage these things! Develop these things! Help your children figure out how to develop these little quirky interests into strengths and abilities that will flourish into meaningful careers that will both fulfill them and help give back and make a difference in the world.
Your children are naturally born with interests and strengths that they are instinctively ready to explore. They crave quality time from us, the ones they love most. We don’t have to be the expert. We just simply have to be there.
Be present.
Be with them.
Cheer them on.
We don’t even have to understand it or have the slightest clue. I don’t understand microbiology but I know it’s absolutely essential to our medical field and if my child is interested and has a strength in that, then I want to support any way I can.
What might this look like at a young age you ask? You might have a three year old always asking to be outside, playing in the dirt and water, picking apart flowers and bugs, to examine them, asking lots of questions about why and how things are.
Let them.
Encourage them.
These early years shape the brain in ways that last a lifetime. We’ve known this far decades. And yet, we continue to let time slip by, one click at a time, speeding things up faster and faster seeming to forget that time is really, all we have.
I was gifted this cuckoo clock last Christmas, by my partner as a reminder of the one I grew up with. I adore it because it’s a gentle, daily reminder to remain present and connected.
And I hope the same for each of you. 🦋
