Are you familiar with Aesop's fable "the Ants and the Grasshopper" as retold by Disney? A grasshopper unconcerned that winter is coming fiddles and plays through his day. He tries to convince some of the worker ants to stop and enjoy the beauty of summer. Fate is realized in winter, the grasshopper starving and cold collapses at the door of the ant colony. The ants, being board with winter, see a use for his cheerful fiddling and take him in. The grasshopper "earns his keep" by entertaining the ants with music.

I am raising a grasshopper; a child who is in no hurry to do anything but find's joy in everything. I am protecting him from the ants; people mainly in the school system that measure child development by how well you march in a row. I know surely as winter will come my job is to protect my grasshopper until his turn to bring light and joy into winter.

My grasshopper is without fear. He is the first one to jump into an ice cold lake for a swim. He will always ride the biggest rollercoaster. And most impressive his is always the first to share with you because he does not fear scarcity. Grasshoppers have no since of urgency. I tell my child "run for the bus you're late." After a few quick steps up the driveway he forgets the assigned mission to hurry and slows to explore the road ahead.

I was volunteering in kindergarten with my little grasshopper when I was asked to conduct a simple test with all the children. First they cut a clay ball into half with a popsicle stick and then I would roll the clay into a hot dog shaped for them to size up and cut in half again. One by one the children were quick to show me they knew the meaning of half. Then it was my grasshoppers turn. At first I was sickened, he was doing it wrong. He was not marching in a row. As I watched he turned the hotdog lengthwise and slowly cut it into two long equal pieces. He was the only one that pointed out a different solution that day.

Ants are wonderful people I should know I am raising a few of them. They really do work hard to get the job done and bring order to the world. An ant's weakness is they are fear driven. I can always get my ant children to clean house. I just tell them what they are going to loose if they don't get their chores done. The public education system loves to tell children; you will never graduate, you will fail, you will never get a job, winter is coming. This fear tactic works well if you are an ant, you quickly get into line and do what ever you are told. Teachers love ant children. They are the 'A' students. The problem comes with lack of tolerance or understanding for non-ants. Fear used to control and bring order into the ant world does not work on grasshoppers. Far too many grasshopper children are being medicated into ants. Ask yourself, as a parent do I buckle under pressure to bring my grasshopper into line with the ants?

So how does one best teach and motivate a grasshopper child? Unlike ants that work for reward, a grasshopper sees intrinsic value in whatever he does. He is going to put a puzzle together for the fun of it, not for an 'A' on a paper. A grasshopper places greater importance on discovery and less on achieving prefect results. It is important that you recognize the efforts made and not just the end results. When to much focus is placed on achieving high grades or rewards, the message sent to the grasshopper is we value only the 'A' students and not your desire to learn. Appeal to his curiosity and desire to discover the world around him and you tap into the true power of a grasshopper.

I choose to raise my grasshopper as he is. I will protect his right to learn and discover like a grasshopper. He will face winter without fear. His curiosity will find solutions others have missed. He will lead us into the light and joy of summer.

Valerie Hasara - Editor/Publisher
Options2Day.com