Quiet 

On By MeghaIn Parenting

When our children are born,

The quiet communication yearns to be torn,

With gurgling and giggling we spin the reverie,

Of how’ll be life with words flowing free.

As parents, we talk non-stop,

Ushering the child to let the first word pop,

That is just the start,

The quiet is now a thing of the past.

When child indulges in incessant banter,

We say “Quiet please, listen to your mother”,

We wish the rule of the silence returns,

Cutting noise, in peace may we all learn.

But is the quiet always needed from children alone?

It is a superpower, its cloak we parents must learn to don.

A_young_boy_huggin_3227868b
Picture Source 

The open, receptive, quiet,

That heals the heart with its might,

Wipes the noise of hurt,

Assures the child, he need no words to blurt.

The quiet that allows children to feel free,

Express themselves, just as they wish to be,

In these precious moments,

Kids learn to own, rewind and assess problems.

Often silence is better than offering solutions,

Let the healthy emotional resilience grow,

Keeping it light but making child know,

We acknowledge their feelings,

We understand their points of view.

We’re right here accepting them in totality,

Let them relax in the pause feeling free.

Don’t let the quiet feel awkward,

It’s vital for their journey onward,

Come empathize, words free,

Let peace begin with ‘we’.

I promise to love, hug and cuddle with all my attention,

My precious, come to me without hesitation,

Let the quiet swallow all dismissals & diminution,

Of your being so little or strayed from the mission.

Let it be the moment that tells you and me,

We are equally in love & wrapped in ties of empathy,

I want us to learn that feelings don’t always make sense,

We need a breather to let ’em go & become paste tense.

Let’s put the commotion aside,

I let you, my child be in control, to decide,

What shall happen in your life.

Let’s begin with questions to help explore,

Your desires, ambitions, freedom and more,

I’m trying to take a step back with the quiet,

Resisting the urge to rescue with all my might.

May the silence usher growth of resilience in you,

May the quiet bring you, closer to the stronger you.

————————————————————————

Parents so often are tempted to jump to rescue their children with soothing words, offering solutions to children’s problems and encouraging them incessantly. But often, a quiet hug, an understanding nod, an empathetic cuddle can help the child clear the air, come to terms with their problems and begin to look at them in a more analytical light. Taking the step back to let our children develop resilience is crucial. Resisting the urge to break the silence is important from time to time. Reassure the child you’re around but let them be their own champions finding solutions on their own.

* This post is part of the April A to Z Challenge 2016. My theme is Parenting.

Please find my other posts here.

 

29 thoughts on “Quiet ”

  5. fabulus1710

    My mom tells me that I uttered my first word after two years of existing on planet earth. The first word was ‘beautiful’ 😀

    I loved the poem, dear. As a student, I witness this regularly: parents scolding their children in front of classmates when they get low marks. It really is demoralising. Instead of sitting this child down and asking them what went wrong, they just scream and shout. And the whole point of having exams is lost on these parents!

    Favourite lines from the poem? These:
    “Resisting the urge to rescue with all my might.
    May the silence usher growth of resilience in you,
    May the quiet bring you, closer to the stronger you.”
    ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My my, what a beautiful beginning you’ve had 🙂
      As a parent I can closely relate to the example you stated. I feel, we parents are among the most confused, easily overwhelmed species on planet Earth. We are so driven by the desire to fix every problem for our child that we often lose focus of the approach we are taking to make it happen. I can safely say, I too am guilty of going overboard on some occasions but then I sit and analyse these things and that’s when I churn such posts.
      Thank you dear ❤

      Like

  7. These words are ‘quite’ simply wonderful! The quiet and solitude with your child is as important a part of bonding as any other joint activity! Perhaps that is how fathers and sons bond over a quiet fishing time? Or Mothers and daughters bond in a quiet sewing/art time together? Loved this beautiful poem!
    @KalaRavi16 from
    Relax-N-Rave

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very wonderfully put Kala 🙂
      We learn to bond over silence when the words fail to touch our heart the way our soul would love them to. I’m glad you liked my attempt at writing poetry.

      Like

    1. In today’s forever busy, noisy life being quiet yet connected is something that needs a conscious effort but is definitely worth it 🙂
      Thank you Reema.

      Like

  9. inquisitivegeet

    Man!! That was literally your heart pouring in. And yes, I see parents shutting up children because they speak too much, but later they realize that they should’ve let them speak for a while.
    It’s beautiful how you carve every emotion and give your readers an idea about your experiences 🙂

    Cheers
    Geets

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I too am learning the ropes of parenting by making all the mistakes that eventually inspire me to blog about them. I agree, the power of silence when realised often makes life feel sorted both for the parent and the child.
      Thank you Geetika 🙂

      Like

  10. Very well said. We need to be mindful what we ask kids to do, demand quiet when we previously encouraged them to speak. And when they feel the need to show some independence — an important time to be there, help along.
    Nicely written.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It can be pretty confusing both for the parent as well as the child, but then like in every other relationship, parents grow with their children, learning a new lesson everyday.
      Thank you Silvia 🙂

      Like

  11. inGeniousty

    This is a beautiful poem, Era! Sometimes the quiet is not just for the children but also for the parents. A lot of things could be resolved if all sit together and discuss in a family! Loved this very much! Gracias!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You said it Stephen. Realization of the importance of silence and learning to respect it for each other can take a parent-child relationship to a whole new level 🙂
      Thank you.

      Like

  13. How wonderful ME!

    Just a quiet hug to convey ‘ it’s fine’ or’ you can do better next time’ or ‘well done’ or ‘ do not repeat this again’ , ‘work harder’ or anything that is appropriate for that context can mean so much more to children.

    This poem has helped me put certain things into perspective. So, thank you.

    I hope you will continue to write regularly even after the challenge.Your posts are such a ‘food for thought’ .

    Cheers
    Truly Happy

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad my posts could help you things in perspective TH. I shall surely keep writing my mind, like I always have.
      Thank you dear for all the love, support and cheering ❤
      {Hugs}

      Like

Comments are closed.