Remember your child’s first step? Or the first time they went to the potty? Remember the joy that surrounded those moments? The pride you both felt?

 

Despite the fact that billions of people who came before took a step and went to the potty, we still celebrate those moments with our own children with a level of enthusiasm usually reserved for winning some great award or honor. And we should. We should clap and praise and make them feel like they have done something great. They peed in the potty after all. That IS awesome. No one questions that.

 

And yet when those same children get a little older, we stop celebrating milestones with them. Worse, we sometimes even stop noticing or encouraging. Children are constantly saying, “watch this” or “look at me.” And they think they are doing amazing things. Amazing things as great as peeing in the potty. And when they are craving our attention and positive feedback, how many of us just give a half-hearted “yeah, great” without even really looking? In our busy lives, we forget the pride and joy of accomplishing simple things that billions of people who came before have already done. We stop celebrating the things that make us human.

 

There is a game we play often at The Little Gym called “Slam the Cheese.” We stand a “cheese mat” (an incline mat for rolling down) up on its end and the kids just run right in to it and knock it down. That’s the whole game. And kids love it. And you can see the pride and joy in their faces when they stand up from knocking it over. They simply knocked down a mat with the help of momentum and gravity. And they feel like winners. And they should. Like the 2-year-old who peed in the potty.

 

Did I mention that in this Slam the Cheese game, there are no angry birds, no zombies, no bells, no fancy graphics. Just forces of nature, the human spirit, and a rush of adrenaline. And watch a young child walk across a balance beam unassisted for the first time. Even one a few inches off the ground. The child will shout, “hey, watch me!” and they will be proud. Forget the fact that if one can walk in a straight line on the ground, one can walk on a balance beam. Just celebrate with them.

 

 Now, I’m not a psychologist, or an expert on anything really, but I think that maybe if we all start really celebrating and encouraging moments of fun that revolve around forces of nature, the human spirit, and a little adrenaline, maybe kids won’t rely so much on electronics for fun. Let them feel real pride when they walk on a ledge at a park. Not artificial pride for killing a zombie. Give them sticks and a rubber band and help them build a real sling-shot and celebrate when they hit a tree with a rock. Not a virtual pig with an angry bird. Play like the billions of people who have come before…

 

Angel Hundley, Gym Owner