B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

V
A R I A T I O N
Give your child other examples of things growing at their own pace. For
example, one would not criticize a toddler who is just learning to walk as
being inadequate when he falls down, or critique the new artwork of a
beginning artist because it was not up to the quality of an experienced artist.
W
H A T
’
S
B
E I N G
L
E A R N E D
Teens are learning to accept that everything happens in its time. Just as
yelling at a flower bud or tugging at the grass won’t make it grow faster,
being impatient with the speed of one’s learning and growing won’t make
things happen any faster.
148
Attention Games
10_736546 ch05.qxp 5/26/06 12:01 PM Page 148

---

They are also learning to look to nature for patterns that also apply to
human nature. This encourages a more global and open attentive approach
to life. Also, by noticing nature’s small details, they are developing their
concentrated focusing skills.
Five Good Moments
A friend and I were eagerly looking forward to seeing each other at the end
of the day, but didn’t want to wish the day away in our anticipation. So we
made a plan that when we got together we would tell each other five good
things that happened that day. Instead of wishing the day would hurry up
and be over, we paid close attention to what was happening so that we
would have good stories to recount.
You can encourage your teen to play this game with you to help him
develop an attentive eye toward his day that’s focused on the positive.
T
Y P E S O F
A
T T E N T I O N
E
N C O U R A G E D
Open and focused