What Does Educating a Child Have to Do with Painting a Room

When educating a child, things do not always go as planned

Picture this. You planned your room decor thoroughly. Every detail was well thought out, and you were very happy with the results when tragedy struck. A flood in the room above it ruined the wall glaze effect that you so pain-stakedly worked on. Your paint peeled off a 3 by 18 inch area of the wall leaving the bare drywall shown behind. Your plans are ruined. Do you declare the room a disaster? Do you start over from scratch or do you work with what you have. I had this dilemma, which I decided to work with. The results are in the photographs.

When educating a child, the unexpected will cause a roadblock in your plans.

Now think about this. What if you planned your child’s life, his future, his education? Little Timmy would be a doctor, he would lead the family to greatness, the family would shine because of Little Timmy, and you will all be so proud. However, suppose Timmy turned out to have ADHD. Timmy would never make it through math and science with his self-esteem intact. Do you declare Timmy a disaster, and tell him he will never amount to anything. Do you give up on Timmy because he has ruined your plans for him? Unfortunately, many parents do this. If not parents, then teachers or other adults do.

When educating a child, look for his or her special talents and do not dwell on their flaws

I say you need to look at Timmy again. Everyone has a special talent, and Timmy does too. It is your responsibility to bring out the best in Timmy. Sometimes you have to look closely at the flaw to find out what treasure it holds, just as I looked at the flaw in my wall treatment and found a new beauty.

When educating a child, let the child dictate his future plans as he matures.

Here is my point. Educating a child has nothing to do with painting a room. At least it should not. You should never make a child’s plans for him and expect him to follow them in order to make you proud. If you do, you set up the child for certain failure. Instead, examine the child, his likes, his dislikes, his flaws, and his talents. Build on them, and you will be certain to find a precious gem that will be sure to make you proud.

If you find that you have run into a roadblock because your child has an issue or a problem blocking his or his path, then look again. Peel away the flaw and look for the beauty within.