Every day brings something new – experiences, or different thoughts. Today I "introduced" a 2-year-old girl to the office, who showed me much more than I could have imagined.
The mother of 2-year-old Evička (code name) wanted to check her posture and legs because she suspected that her toes were turning in towards her. When I first met her mother and Evička, I was surprised by how calm and direct Evička was. After I had prepared several toys in the office, she smoothly moved to them and started playing. During this time, I asked the mother why they had come to see me, what Evička had been up to now, whether she had ever had anything to do with the doctors, and when she had started to notice the tendency for her legs to turn in. The mother's answer was that she noticed this turning in most when she was tired, in winter boots, or when Evička was very interested in something.
At my request, my mother asked Evička in a firm but kind tone to strip down to her underwear. She almost enthusiastically jumped up from the floor and started putting her clothes away. I only assured her that we would look at her bottom, belly and legs. As part of the examination, I had Evička walk around the office, pick up a toy from the floor, then put it back down, throw a ball, climb on and off the couch, hop around and even try to stand on one leg. And then I examined her muscle engagement and joint freedom. She performed all these “tests” with great quality, and I observed the tiny curl of her leg when Evička ran to the toys on the mat next to the couch. I happily told my mother that she had a wonderful, lively and healthy little girl who shows us in all her beauty what interpersonal communication and cooperation could look like.
Children are amazing in many ways. One of them is their constant interest in everything that surrounds them. That fascination and enthusiasm for the world around them is sometimes manifested in the way they hold their bodies and move. It may seem unhealthy, non-ideal, or even breakneck. Most often, we observe a slight inward turning of the toes when walking or running, a posture resembling a round back, a bulging belly, legs in an X, etc.
Proto všichni, kteří pozorujeme pohyby našich dětiček, sledujme i to, co děti právě zajímá a co je jejich středobod zájmu. Může nám to pomoci v hledání odpovědi, zda postavení nožiček, páteře anebo hlavy je jenom reakcí na dětské zaujetí anebo je lepší raději vyhledat odborníka ke konzultaci.
And just to give us a better idea, we can think about our posture when we stand at a bus stop for a long time, looking at a computer screen or a mobile phone :-).
However, Evička surprised me the most at the very end when she was cleaning up the toys and balls we had been using. She gradually rolled the balls into the corner and called one of the larger gymnastic balls daddy, the slightly smaller one mommy, and she put 2 small massage balls on the chair next to them and said “baby”.
Even during our meeting, I could see that Evička enjoyed the balls, so I brought her a new ball to take home for practice. However, her reaction surprised me more than anything. She took this small ball and put it next to the original two small balls and said: “another baby”. I stood there with my mouth open and couldn’t believe my eyes. Evička showed me in all its beauty how easily we can work together, be considerate and kind.
And this is where I admire children immensely. Their joy in sharing experiences with others and their ability to think of others is simply incredible and should be inspiring to us all.
Therefore, let us not teach children, but learn from children.
Petr Zahradník
