Repost from @kimberlytolife:
Meet Cesar, a child of life, his own man. He belongs to no one but himself. He has adults in his world that are responsible for him and his wellbeing, that guide him and teach him by example. But he leads and directs his own life. Cesar is empowered.
He is never suppressed, he is never told to do something or behave in a certain way unless there is a reason, and that reason is understood by him, so that in the end he acts out of understanding and not because he was told or commanded by an authority. Cesar is learning how to become his own self-authority.
This takes time and patience on the part of the adult. It tests and pushes the adult to understand for themselves why they expect certain behaviours, and it challenges the adult to look at their own beliefs, ideas and perceptions. It challenges the adult’s own conditioning.
In this way, Cesar is a mirror, and thus a great teacher. He also sometimes finds solutions and understandings more directly than adults in his world. Cesar is being raised in a community, he is our teacher as much as we are his. Obviously we intervene, explain and guide more, but are also open to what he has to present to us, to do our own introspection and not shut him down because he is only a child. In this way, we are equals according to our abilities.
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