The seeds that parents and educators plant with children may not be evident for years to come. Often things we do or say with children seem small, yet may be of more benefit than we ever imagined.

See side bar for information on Sharon's wonderful books for elementary-age children. There is a discounted price on the 5-book series that even includes a darling Nicholas puppet. See "The Nicholas Collection" at www.hrdpress.com/SharonScott .

One example that comes to mind is that many years ago I had a fireman acting as a volunteer mentor to a ten-year-old boy whom I was counseling. The boy—I’ll call him Tim—had recently been taken into custody by the police for theft of a toy in a department store. He lived with his younger brother and mother who worked long hours to support the family. There was no father in the home. Tim was basically doing his best to raise himself. He made low grades and was a very poor reader.

He seemed in awe when I introduced him to his fireman volunteer. We met at the fire station and Tim was thrilled to sit in the fire engine. Tim had weekly visits with the fireman who helped him with his homework, but mainly just listened.

One day the fireman volunteer called me discouraged because he said that Tim was so slow that he didn’t think he was helping him. He said the only thing that he had taught him to do was to tell time and mentioned that he had given Tim a watch for a birthday present. My response to the fireman volunteer was as follows: “Jack, some day when Tim is employed doing whatever job he can, he’ll be able to arrive at work on time and keep his job. What a valuable skill you’ve taught him!”

Rather than focus on what we’ve yet to accomplish with our children, it’s imperative that we remember to reinforce ourselves with these not so small things we teach others!

Copyright 2007, Sharon Scott.

P.S. Please see my other column, “The Counselor’s Corner,”about Self-Esteem and Peer Pressure.

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