5 Things I Learned from My Kid

Children are great learners and even better teachers.

These little human beings are just that…human. They have their own ways of doing things, their own way of talking, playing, and even moving. You can learn a lot from interacting and even simply watching children. They are amazing. Pay attention so you don’t miss anything. Below are 5 things I learned from my kid.

Keep moving

My kid does NOT STOP MOVING. One second she is over here, then the next moment she is over there. She’s like a little monkey climbing on just about everything. She is movement. And we, as adults need to move more. Our computers, TVs and phones have literally become extensions of our bodies. We’re shackled to them like a chain gang. It’s time to put these gadgets down, turn them off and get moooooovin’!

Remember your squat and deadlift positions.

When my daughter wants to investigate something on the ground (like a cute little bug), she squats. When she wants to move something heavy (like trying to be helpful moving bag of groceries), she hip hinges or deadlifts it like a pro. As adults, I feel we have completely forgotten about these types of very important movements that can be quite effective throughout the years. But many of us still don’t use proper form let’s say in squatting to pick up and move a heavy piece of furniture. Whether it’s in the gym or every day life, many of us have deserted the deadlift (hip hinge) and even worse, some of us have substituted lumbar flexion for hip hinging. Even doing these movements with zero weight attached can assist in your daily mobility and allow you to move and flow with a better range of motion.

Appreciate full range of motion.

Every morning when my daughter wakes up she stretches, extends backwards, raises her arms high above her head, make her legs super straight, twists herself around, arms back up again like a little contortionist. Truth be told, her stretching is no different than that of a dog or cat when they wake in the morning. First things first, when you wake up and get out of bed, MOVE! We should move our bodies and appreciate the motion you have or maybe work towards gaining back motion you may have lost.

Try new things with regards to movement.

I always hear my daughter constantly saying, “I want to bounce on this,” “can I climb that?” ‘Watch me jump.” Months ago she was at SCI with me and wanted to walk on the 2×4. Have at it kiddo! It was interesting that she did so playfully; she didn’t get upset if she fell off. A distinct contrast to the adults that walk on the 2×4 while in the office. Some get uneasy about trying, super upset when they fall off, and just lose patience altogether. Be willing to try something new or something that you haven’t done in awhile. And give yourself a break if you don’t do it ‘right’ at first. You will get it, just keep practicing.

Learn that it’s ok to ask for help.

It’s taken a while, but I think, at least for now, my daughter understands trying, really trying and then if she can’t figure something out or do something, she simply asks for help. Maybe it’s getting to the first branch of a tree; maybe it’s using “Mr. Pencil,” or opening a snack. She knows it’s ok to ask for help and you should too. And so, in regard to movement or lack thereof or anything else that may be bothering you, remember this, it’s ok to ask for help, that’s why we’re here.