Failing Isn't Losing: Childhood Lessons That Outlast Time... LOH #263

Let's go memory lane. I was just about seven years of age then, and it was the first time I tried flying a kite. My Dad held lemon his hands and too me to our spacious backyard, he had been busy helping to make it since I've been disturbing him a day before. I had watched on TV how a kid was jumping and laughing as he flied one.

When we got to the backyard, he looked at me and said, "...beyond flying a kite, beyond that excitement and all, you'll learn something much more important." I didn't understand what he meant, and I didn't even think about it, I'm just seven for crying out loud. The only thing that mattered to me was just to fly a kite.

He handed it over to me, and the wind happens to do its thing at that time. I held it and ran while the kite also soared and danced in the sky. Well, I enjoyed it for about a minute before the string suddenly broke and the kite made its way back down. In that moment, my heart sank, tears dropped from my ears, I ran back to where my dad was, I wanted to tell him I didn't know how it happened and I was expecting to be scolded.

When I got to him, he was smiling, I wanted to talk, but he bend down to embrace me, "it's alright dear, remember what I told you earlier, here is it." I looked up at him as if trying to search his eyes for something as he continued, "...That's how life works too, there are times that we break, sometimes we fall, but each of those does a better job in teaching one than any success would."

That very day, I learned what every child should learn, and that is the fact that failing isn't in any way less than succeeding, yea, it is a teacher, just that it comes disguising itself as failure. My dad didn't just want me to fly a kite for excitement sake, he wanted me to understand patience and the value of getting back up and trying again.

It's been years now, and I can tell you that I've still failed at a whole lot of things, name it, be it in school, during presentations, in relationships and all. But each and every time I get reminded of my dad's words. It makes more sense each and every day, I learn, keep calm and try again. Many people have seen failing as a thing of shame today, they didn't look at it from the other side, they didn't see it as proof that they dared, that they tried, that they left their comfort zone and didn't sit idle.

That lesson has been very helpful to me as I grow, I recall sometimes last year when my cousin sis lost in a competition, she was so pained that she returned home crying. I followed her in, help her undress, ask her to shower and made for her her favourite dish. While the food was still on fire, I sat her down, knelt beside her and said, "it's a fact that you've lost today dear, but trust me, it will make you more ready and prepared for another." I actually wasn't expecting her to really understand what I meant, but the way her face lit up, I saw she understood me. She gave me our usual "tap chuckle" hand shake, and I went to bring in her food.

We need to know that the most important things we teach children ain't just words, but also various examples of kindness, faith, resilience, love... amongst others. To teach children ain't that hard, well that's for me, maybe because am always around kids. When they win and do well, praise them, celebrate their achievements, don't ever think one is easy, normal or not worth celebrating. But then again, we shouldn't take the lessons of failure away from them, that is exactly what and where they build character and behavior from, that is where they learn that mistake is a part of life, and they should embrace it, learn from it and keep moving.

Yes, I forgot to add that I flyed that kite again some years after, and this time, I flew it perfectly. I laughed because I was able to and because I had now learned to value the various lessons hidden in whatever failure I encounter. That is something every child should know, that failing is a stepping stone and not a wall to stop us. Every child deserves love and guidance.

So, I believe we should teach our children that it's ok to fail, to try, to get back up and to try again. While also teaching them that both failure and success teaches, that non is a lesser teacher and that both are necessary to for a purposeful/well lived life.

Life can be compared to many things, amongst it is a kite. It will fall, break, cut and all, but with love, care and guidance, it can go up so much higher than we can imagine.

All images are mine, except the first that was AI generated.

Also, I must add that this is my first time posting via @ecency . Looking forward to using this amazing frontend more.

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