It must have been over 5 years ago as I was reading “Aleph”- a book written by Paulo Coelho, that I came across this very interesting piece of information.

Discussing his spiritual development, the author referred to bamboo…

In that moment I learned that what I had previously known to be the fastest growing plant on earth needs 5 years of nourishment to spread its root system underground before being ready to meet the sun and start shooting for the stars!

While bamboo needs extreme patience and persistence in order to grow, we find the lotus flower rising and shining out of muddy waters defying all odds.

Each plant has different needs and same goes for our children.

I am writing this today as an honored participant of the #BacktoSchool Campaign organised by UNICEF Lebanon and the Ministry of Education under the title #AbtalAlMadrassa #SchoolHeroes emphasising each child’s right for education.

Now that schools have reopened their doors, we as a society have a significant role to play.

We need to make our children believe that they are miracles, watering them with love and support even if their capacities in absorbing differ for some excel fast at first and stop to hit maturity early, while others are more like bamboo and flourish later.

Moreover, it’s vital for us to realise that each and every single “Mini Me” was born to be unique rather than fulfilling the long lost dreams of all parents, AKA: “ Hakim, Mhandess, aw Mouhami”!

As Albert Einstein put it: “Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid”

Don’t Stop watering your seeds, or even worse, dig them up to relocate them assuming that the new environment will be more appropriate.

I do know that we live in an instant gratification society where high results are expected in the shortest of periods, but there is more to the child than meets the eye.

There are two things that we need to give our children: the time to let their roots grow, and the courage to wear their cape and fly…