Through the Eyes of a Child-Part 2: Trust and Protection

 

This is Otto. He is three years old. Like all children and adults alike, he has fears. Every Wednesday, right after lunch and playtime, a music teacher comes, guitar in hand,  to sing with the kindergarteners. And every Wednesday, Otto bursts into tears at the sight of this man and his guitar.  Sometimes he is forced to sit through the music time, sobbing uncontrollably. I couldn't take it, seeing him cry.  I took him in my arms and walked outside, where I sat with him and gently told him it would be okay. After a few minutes he calmed down and clung to me. A few minutes later, Tia Violeta comes out and tells me to go sit in the class room with him. I did as I was told grudgingly, unwilling to inflict pain on the child snuggled in my arms. I got to the door when he started crying. Angry with myself and with the Tia, I took him out and sat. It took him longer to calm down the second time, and I couldn't help but feel that I had let him down. His fear, however unreasonable it may seem to everyone is real and he had willingly let me lead him out of the anxious situation only to thrust him back into it.

 

Feeling bad, I led him away from the noises drifting out of the room and towards the playground. We stopped and fed the goats first, of course. We tried out the swings first and then the slides.

 

 

At one point, Otto started climbing up ladder type poles to get to a slide. I watched as his confidence slowly waned the more he climbed. Noticing his uncertainty and fear I came and stood beside him gently placing my hands around him to let him know he wasn't going to fall. He climbed the top with some help and then stood on shaky legs as he clutched my hand for support.

When he let go I clapped with enthusiasm to reassure him he was okay. I waited at the end of the slide for him and made sure he got safely down.

 

He then went to another slide, this one smaller and designed for younger kids. I helped him climb up but didn't stand at the bottom of the slide, thinking he would be okay. I watched in horror as he came sliding down, flew off and landed on his hands and knees. I felt for the second time again that I had let him down. He trusted me and I let him be hurt- but the lesson didn't end there. I was amazed as he let me help him up and he shook off the dirt and started running to another slide. I stayed close by as I thought about the incident. Twice in only a matter of an hour I had let him down, and twice he got back up, put on a smile and let me help him. Again. After I messed up. 

James Cash Penny said, "I believe in trusting man, not once but twice- in giving a failure another chance."

 

At some point we have to trust others, we have to rely on someone to pick us up, help us climb up a ladder... trust is not lightly given in this world, so many are cynical of others, and so many fail to trust again when they have been hurt. But we should be more like Otto. Willing to let it go, willing to trust you one more time, willing to forgive your endless mistakes.

 

 We should all give others another chance- give trust another chance, and give those who have failed you another chance.