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The point of this story is that Miranda was safe because of having learned to trust her inner experience, her feelings. This is what we need to teach our children.
How often do you inadvertently invalidate your children’s inner experience? If your child said, “I don’t like Uncle Bob,” would you ever say, “Don’t be silly. Uncle Bob is a very nice man and he loves you very much.” If your child said, “I’m not tired,” would you ever say, “Of course you’re tired. You’ve been running around all day.” If your child said, “My teacher is treating me differently than she treats
other kids,” would you ever say, “I’m sure that’s not true. You’re just too sensitive.” All of these statements invalidate children’s feelings and inner experience and teach them not to trust themselves.
Part of our job as parents is to teach our children to trust a deeper level of inner knowing, level that says in heart or stomach, “This feels wrong.” “This feels bad.” “This feels dangerous.” “I have to get away from this.” We can’t always know truth from our mind or our eyes. Sometimes truth comes through body in our feelings. For example, Miranda said that man who killed her friend was very kindly looking and friendly. He had a big smile and looked like he would never harm a flea. On outward level, there was nothing that spelled danger. But her body knew differently. Her body picked up a different level of information – energy level. On energy level, we cannot hide our intention. There is an energy transmitted from a person with a closed heart who is intent on doing harm, just as there is an energy transmitted from a person with an open heart who is intent on being loving. Miranda picked up energy of this man’s intent to do harm. She could not consciously know what he was going to do, but she did know that it didn’t feel right. It felt wrong.
In addition to teaching our children to avoid all strangers and physically defend themselves, let’s protect our children’s innocence by teaching them to discern difference between an open and a closed heart. Let’s help keep them safe by validating their feelings and inner experience so they learn to trust themselves.
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?", "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By My Kids?", "Healing Your Aloneness","Inner Bonding", and "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God?" Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com
