After a few days of rain, it felt fitting that the skies were blue and the sun was shining. Although it was crisp and cold, we wrapped up warm and went for a lovely intuitive walk. There were many AHA moments I can share like skipping stones through large puddles, hugging trees, wild ponies pausing to say hello...but the moment I want to share is one that I see so often in many families I work with.
During our nature walk, the little girl kept her wellies as clean as possible. Until I challenged her to stomp in the mud. She took the challenge and eventually got stuck in the mud. Her wellies sank so deeply that when she tried to pull them free, they stayed behind and she landed in the mud in her socks.
There was a brief moment of surprise. She pressed pause. Froze and then this was followed almost immediately by laughter. Deep belly chuckles that got all of us adults laughing with her. Some children may have panicked, cried, gotten angry. She didn't. Although she is facing some tricky moments in her life, she took this in her stride.
What stayed with me was not the mud or the lost boots, but what unfolded in that moment without anyone needing to intervene. She simply enjoyed the moment and used humour to diffuse her anxiety at losing her boots.
Children often show us how growth actually happens when the environment is right. She didn’t resist what had happened or become overwhelmed by it. She didn’t cling to the boots or retreat from the path. She simply continued, fully aware that she was supported by the adults around her. Something that goes a long way to helping children get unstuck.
After her mum retrieved the boots and I dried her feet, we carried on walking. Something subtle had shifted. She moved forward without avoiding the mud and without anxiety about getting stuck again.
From a coaching perspective, this is worth noticing.
Nature has a way of revealing when it is time to release what once felt protective. Growth rarely comes through effort or force. More often, it comes through trust. This little girl had learnt to trust her body again after a morning of activities that showed her just how resilient, strong and smart her brain is.
As Kids Life Coaches, this is the space we hold for children. This is the space where they come unstuck. Not because we push them in a direction, or instruct them or tell them or show them. They need to learn for themselves and we need to be there to support them with our Kids Life Studio® 4U's - unconditional, unconventional, upbeat, uplliftment.
Our job as Kids Life Coaches is...
Not rushing in to remove discomfort.
Not framing a challenge as a problem to solve.
Not over-directing the experience.
But allowing children to meet moments fully, knowing they are held.
This little girl may never consciously remember that walk as a meaningful experience, but moments like these build something internal: confidence in uncertainty, resilience without hardening, and an embodied sense of safety that doesn’t depend on everything going to plan. This is what Rebranding Childhood® is all about. It is about supporting children to feel certain in the uncertainty, confident with the unknown and calm in the chaos.
Sometimes progress begins the moment something familiar is left behind. As Kids Life Coaches, our work is to recognise those moments and to trust them. Most of all, it is about trusting ourselves to tap into our own Intuitive Resilience® so that we can facilitate the growth our coachees and their parents need!
Sending much love and zeal your way!
