N is for...

Nurture.

Not as in “nature vs.”; that is too volatile a topic and I have way too much at stake. Not going there. Just ‘nurture’.

What does that even mean?  At the most basic level, nurture means ‘to feed and protect’.  Well, there are a lot of children in this world who are being fed and protected, and still, sadly, lacking.  Dictionary.com also defines ‘nurture’ as “to support and encourage; foster. To bring up; train; educate”.  So I will specify that when I think of the word ‘nurture’, I define it as feeding and protecting the whole child, to include their intellectual and emotional selves. 

In our family, it means we look for signs of interest and try to structure toys and play areas in such a way that it feeds a child’s curiosity and comfort.  For a long time, Girlie was fascinated by manipulating small items, not building or counting them.  Dolls were completely uninteresting, but marbles were mesmerizing.  Eventually she started constructing marble runs, and then changing the construction and paying attention to what happens when the marbles met different obstacles.  In addition, everyone who knows her is aware of her obsession with rocks.  Many people have given her interesting specimens, and she has collected a few books and studied them carefully.  Even if these things don’t manifest into career paths, they make her feel secure, and we can nurture that.

Boyo is still building elaborate scenarios with LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, soldiers, cowboys, and Indians. He is in two ballet classes, and also continues to take piano lessons and practice daily.  He’s been playing since he was four years old and we think it’s a tool for stability and relaxation.  Is he bound for Julliard?  No, in fact, he shows no signs of becoming a virtuoso*, but even his teacher recognizes music as something that captures his focus and maybe blocks out all the other input.  The same seems to be true of ballet.  If it helps him manage his anxiety, believe me, we will nurture that!  (*I won’t rule out any possibilities, so if he dreams of becoming skilled enough to take music or dance to a higher level, we will be behind him all the way!)

Knitting, especially with wool, is nurturing to me.  Besides being meditative, it’s a very tactile experience, and the colors and textures can be soothing to the eye or jazz things up a little on a gray day.  My favorite thing is to knit something beautiful and give it away – Surprise! – a little something to make one feel nurtured and loved.

My 'With a Twist' handwarmers were originally designed and knitted  for a Ravelry swap partner in Sweden.