To every parent watching an exhausted five-year-old melt down at night: They weren’t always asked to do this much, this young, this relentlessly.
To every teacher fighting to protect recess, play, and moments of calm: You are not resisting progress. You are defending development.
To anyone who feels guilty for needing to pause: We once taught children that stopping was part of growing.
We dimmed the lights. We played soft music. We gave five-year-olds permission to rest without justification. We trusted that something important was happening in the stillness.
Maybe it’s time we remembered. Maybe it’s time we gave ourselves the same grace we once gave them.
