Growing Pains

On Father's Day, my family went to see Toy Story 3.  I promise no spoilers!  A few of my friends who had already seen the movie, suggested that I bring along some tissues.  As Andy is ready to go to college, the concept of the movie is geared towards growing up, letting go, and moving on.

During the previews before the movie began, we heard from creators of the new Toy Story 3 video game.  One of the comments that they made was, "kids are playing less with toys in the ways that we used to."  Imaginative play is less common in today's world, so they created a "toy box" feature on the current game to encourage children to be creative.  While I listened to their statements, I realized how true it is that a lot of kids are letting go of their "plain jane" toys at a younger age in favor of the latest tech savvy device.

Today's kids are expected to act older at a much younger age.  Maybe some of the persuasion comes from adults, but a great deal comes from their peers.  From t-shirts, to lunch boxes, to what they watch on tv and in the movies, there is pressure from classmates to lose the "baby-ish" characters.

Buzz & Woody are loved, but at 7 years old, my young son already feels that kids around him may think it's just for "little kids."  I'm sad that today's children, mine included, are growing up far too quickly.  Andy, who was just a young child in the first two Toy Story films, is all grown up now.  Although he's heading off to college, he held on to some of his favorite toys all of these years because they inspired the character's imagination (and even some of our's).  I'd like to picture my boys holding on to some of the special parts of childhood, just like Andy did.

There's always going to be pressure to fit in, but following your heart and being true to yourself is much more important.  I hope my boys will embrace who they are and what they love... even if it's not the cool thing to do.  Childhood will be gone soon enough, so I don't want them to give it up too quickly.

Have you struggled with seeing your kids grow up?  How young were they when they started to feel the pressure to act older?  Do you think today's kids are acting older earlier?  Any advice for those of us seeing our kids starting to feel the pressure not to be "little" kids anymore?  Have you seen Toy Story 3?  Did you enjoy it?  Did you cry?  

The Learning Curve: People of Influence

Our first experiences in "the learning curve" involve people, lots and lots of people.  Typically, our original teachers are family.  Moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles... well, you get the picture.  During our youngest years, these people are most often our biggest cheerleaders in learning the basics of life.  Influence begins here as well.

As we learn easily by example, the people around us can be teaching us without even being aware of it.  This portion of the learning curve can be good or bad.  For instance, children who grow up hearing their parents be polite often pick up this trait without needing constant reminders.  A negative influence can be anything from hearing a family member swear or seeing a parent being abusive. 

We've all heard of peer pressure, right?  How many of you picked up a bad behavior from a friend while growing up?  Have your own kids come home from school with a new "trick" or "fun word" to share?  This is yet another way that we learn from others.

Today, Veteran's Day, we should all stop and take a moment to learn from those who have made a sacrifice for our country.  Men and women alike have served and fought to honor and protect a great many people.  In fact, some have made the ultimate sacrifice.  What can we learn from the many Veterans?  My own list is as follows (but not limited to):  honor, respect, sacrifice, strength, compassion, dedication, loyalty, friendship, duty, and patriotism.

People are everywhere, so the opportunity to learn from those around you is everywhere. There are also many ways for people to learn from others. You can learn from someone by asking questions, observing, or listening. 

Take a moment to reflect on the example you set for others.  Who is learning from you?  Who do you learn from?  What is your strongest way of learning?  Is it by example or asking questions?  Do you have a story to share about something you learned from another person?