GRANDparenting
Cultivating Wonder If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in...If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life. – Rachel Carson, American biologist
I
t was the perfect autumn morning for a forest stroll, with crisp leaves underfoot and an electric blue sky above our heads. While the walk itself was pleasurable, my grandchildren, their parents, and their grandfather and I
8 GRAND
were on a mission: to see the salmon spawning in our local stream. The water was running high after several days of torrential rain, and the fish proved elusive at first. But one by one we began to spot them. They were an impressive sight, muscling their way against the current. I couldn’t help but feel a touch of awe as I watched them fighting their way upstream, wild creatures playing their part in a cycle that stretches back for millions of years. If I pass on anything to my grandchildren, I hope it’s this: the ability to feel wonder in the face of life’s beauty. For wonder in turn brings all kinds of good things. It stimulates curiosity and creativity. It inspires gratitude, reverence, and a sense that we are part of something much vaster than ourselves. And did my grandchildren—ages 3, 4 and 6—feel some measure of wonder as they stood beside me at the water’s edge? I don’t know; I didn’t ask. Wonder isn’t something that can be taught or measured like memorizing the alphabet. In fact to pressure a child to feel wonder would be the surest way to send it fleeing. Wonder is itself like a wild salmon. We know when and where we’re most likely to find it, but there’s no guarantee it will show up. We can only pay attention and be grateful when it does appear. Children have a natural capacity for wonder. The world is still new after all, and so they see everything with fresh and inquisitive eyes. But given the screens and other distractions that increasingly compete for their attention, we as the adults who love them need to be intentional in the experiences we provide our youngest generation. Here on Vancouver Island, we are spoiled for natural wonders: the salmon spawning in our rivers, the sea grandmag.ca
