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Seeing animal parents and their babies up close does something to my heart. I watched a video clip of a mama bear trying to get over a fence with her three cubs. The first one managed to get over on his own. The second one climbed two thirds of the way up, and the mama bear stretched her paw down from the top of the fence and pulled him over the last third. The last cub struggled to get high enough to reach his mother’s outstretched paw, but instead of persisting, he dropped back down and trotted towards the street, proceeding to sit down in middle of the road.
Mama bear left her two successful fence-climbing-cubs, jumped down and lumbered over to the road to retrieve her mischievous cub. And she had a hard time. Little one just wanted to stay there. The climbing task was too hard for him, and he had given up. With some prodding, the mama got her cub to follow her back. He started the climb, and the mama got to the top, extending her paw down as far as she possibly could. Baby bear tried, almost gave up, and for one very stressful moment nearly didn’t make it to the saving point, and then he did, and his mama pulled him over the top.
It's amazing how animal stories like these can make you tear up. It was such an incredible and straightforward lesson to me as a parent.
When something is too hard for a child and they give up, don’t throw in the towel. Don’t give up on them. Your child needs you. Do what it takes for your child to succeed. Which, by the way, doesn’t mean doing it for the child, but motivating them to do it. Just like cub number three and his devoted mother.
On this blog I must tie this lesson in to nutritious food for your children. (But really, the lesson is all encompassing: in any stage of life that a child needs help and may give up on his own--doing his homework, choosing a school, finding a shidduch, getting a job… You are their parent: be there for them!)
There is so, so much junk food going on all around us. It's an uphill battle and it's way easier to say, “I give up. I can’t control what they eat, so let them eat whatever they want!” Don’t leave your child in middle of the road to be G-d forbid run over!
While we want our children to have a social life and not be ostracized for eating healthier food, it doesn’t mean we have to help them eat the empty stuff.
A friend of mine visits me on Shabbos with her children. Her level of health food far surpasses anyone else’s that I know. Even my food isn’t good enough for her, although sometimes her family will eat my food, and then I feel so honored. When she goes visiting, she first feeds her children, and feeds them well. When they arrive, they are still full and have no interest in eating more. And they don’t seem to have the sugar cravings that most other children have. So they really don’t nosh on even semi-healthy snacks that are offered.
Every protective human mother can find the mama bear in her, can figure out the way to protect her children, and do what’s best for them.
You can do this! And you will be great!
All the very best,
Nechama Dina Smith
P.S. Don’t forget to email me at nechamasmith@gmail.com to hear about my nutritional therapy practice and how I can help you and support you in your journey to good health. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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