In a video that has gone viral on YouTube, a 2-year-old girl can be seen completely enchanted by the sight of the full moon in the early night sky.
“Daddy, Daddy, look! See, the moon!”
The father had just picked up the child from Grandma’s house, and he is ready to put her in the car when the child shrieks with delight at the sight. We hear the father’s voice as he films this touching scene. He repeatedly encourages his little girl to raise her arms and reach for the moon. We can hear the teasing in his voice, and as adult viewers, we know the father thinks this is a real hoot. The child tries over and over to reach that moon. After several tries, her shoulders slump, and you can see the defeat in her changed demeanor. You hear her say as she shakes her head, “I can’t reach it, Daddy. I can’t reach the moon.”
In a few seconds her genuine excitement with a feature of her natural world is dashed by the insensitivity of a grown-up who passed on a rare teachable moment in favor of a good laugh.
Parents of young children should look at the video and learn a lesson about taking advantage of small spontaneous moments that have the potential to spark a lifelong interest in learning. Admittedly, kids are cute, and they say the funniest things. We are entertained by their adorable fresh perspectives on things that seem ordinary and mundane to us. There is nothing wrong with sharing funny stories about your children to humor family and friends. We all love to hear these stories. The caution, however, comes twofold. First, have respect for the child’s sincere interest in making sense out of his or her world and have the wisdom to save the storytelling for when the child is out of hearing range.
“Goodnight stars, Goodnight air, Goodnight noises everywhere.” From “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.
If this dad had it to do over again, what could he do differently and what difference would it make to his daughter’s future? To be fair, we not only have the advantage of being outside observers of this parent-child interaction, we also have the time to think of alternative actions. With that in mind, let’s go ahead and give it a shot.
First, enjoy the excitement of the moment with the child. “Yes, I see the moon. I am so happy you showed me.” And continuing, “What does it look like? Is it round like a ball?” And maybe, “This is fun looking at the moon with you. Let’s look in the sky again tomorrow night.”
When you arrive home after sharing this tender moment with your young child, think of ways to keep it going. Maybe you take a final look at the moon to see if anything has changed since you left Grandma’s house. It may be interesting to the child to know that Grandma can see the moon at her house at the same time you are viewing it at home. This helps to teach that the moon is visible for all to see because it is so far away.
For this particular scenario what could be better than reading the book “Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me” by Eric Carle? In the story the father uses a very long ladder to climb the sky and reach the moon to take home to his daughter. It isn’t easy reaching the moon, but the father is successful, and in the process of telling the story, Eric Carle (who wrote the book for his daughter, Cirsten) teaches in the simplest of terms, the eternal cycles of the waxing and waning moon.
For older children, consider keeping a moon journal. Have your child draw an illustration of what the moon looks like on each evening of the month.
Felicia Bordick and her colleagues, Carol Smith and Joyce Thomas, are authors of “Kitchen Table Time: Recipes for School Success.” Please feel free to contact Felicia Bordick with comments, questions, or suggestions at [email protected].