Telling Unwritten Tales

We should carefully observe the pictures that arise in the child's soul and not hurry to replace them with our own.  —study from The Kingdom of Childhood

There is a a sanctuary within the world of a child, where unspoken pictures dawn its landscape. When we rush to 'improve' a child's imaginary or fantasy play by adding ready-made characters or even elaborate over moralized storylines, we unknowingly trade their own living seedlings for plastic flowers. This is because the fantasies that exist in the outer world are carried in adult logic, and yes, they sparkle and dazzle us. However, it can crowd out the half-formed images a child is still learning to shape, just as full-grown transplanted trees can disrupt a young wild meadow.

Steiner asks us to simply watch, listen, and wait for the child. Watch how the toddler turns the spoon into a sailing ship. Listen to the six year old whisper to the stones or sing their own song to the rain. Wait for the moment when help is truly asked for. Answer their questions with more questions. Offering only enough to keep the inner current flowing.

In this way, we protect the child's kingdom (their freedom) from the imposed outer world and its ideals and artificial images so that they can develop their own discernment and grow into an understanding of what is real and what is staged. And within their own inner stage they can stumble, stand, and follow their own adventure through darkness and light as they learn to direct themselves towards goodness.

To project our own moralized fantasies onto the child is to rehearse the same outer demands we hope to spare them from. These demands ask us to conform to the world or to please others, before ever asking us to hear our own heart, shape our own questions, and carry our own light. So, by stepping back, we affirm that good health (aka goodness) grows where freedom grows. The pictures a child creates may seem awkward, unfinished, and sometimes wondrous, but we must trust they will ripen into moral imagination as they lead the child into thinking. 

This means that protecting the kingdom of childhood is less about guarding children from darkness and more about guarding the glare of imposed adult invention. When we refrain from overtaking their fantasy, we honor the unseen architects of becoming. The child carries their own inner picture learning, in time, to stand within a world of possibilities—free and fearless.

Steiner cherished storytelling as a nourishment for the young soul. It is central to their growth and development. However, keep in mind that when a child is handed a fully-formed image from the outer world such as franchised, branded story characters, or overly moralized plots, these overly constructed images risk taking the spotlight of the stage that is still under construction. Each child is capable of working from within themselves, and each self-centered image (no matter how tough) is a tiny strand of light in the child's inner house. And if we replace their own light with a bright spotlight of pre-made characters and their morals, the architecture no longer matches the soul that must inhabit its body. Our task is to learn to tell stories that remain open guiding the child down their own path, leaving space for their own images and understanding to take root.

Perhaps this is what Steiner intended when he urged us to 'protect the kingdom of childhood.' The task is not to banish every shadow or curate a flawless landscape, because darkness and light belong together naturally. This means that true protection lies in withdrawing our own spectacles (our own judgement and fully formed ideals) so that the child can stand at the very center of an inner world that unfolds and grows toward the light (untrampled by adult footprints). And the child begins to meet both dawn and dusk on their own terms. And in this freedom we protect unfolding wings of the discerning soul. 

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AND

Watch one of my most favorite inspirations on Vimeo.

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Read from other post below.

The Cloak, the Stick, & the Story

When Words Become Worlds

The Mirror and the Mask