Why can't I heap them properly mommy? Well, he didn't utter those words audibly but as a mother, I understand what he's trying to say.
After he's calmed down, I gave him a little pep talk. The kind of life advice this 2-year-old mom has comprehended after 33 years of existence I hope he'll grasp early on in his life. Our little boy was all ears to mommy.
I gently stroke his hair, kiss his adorable little forehead and started the litany,
"Son, it's okay to fail. It's normal to go through the learning curve because this is your first time stacking blocks. You haven't had the experience necessary to perfectly pile them every time. Not yet.
I want you to try again and again. I understand your frustration. Mommy feels it at times too. The difference is, mommy has to figure things out of her own. She has to encourage herself alone when she's failing. She is her only cheerleader. Well, other times daddy cheers for her too.
There are times she pulls her hair out when she thinks she can't move past the difficulty. But you're different.
You don't have to be like mommy because I'm here to guide you. I'm here to teach you everything mommy knows so you will do it better. So you'll reach even higher. Mommy and daddy are your baselines. We are here for you.
When you're a newbie you will fail many times. That's okay. Press for more. Try out countless different ways until it fits. You are honing your skills. As your experience compounds, your success rate rises while your failure rate drops.
You might have acquired all the theories and the necessary knowledge to do the job well. But there's still a high probability of failure. Because you'll also need to put in the required effort to gain the experience. That's how it usually goes. So do it again.
If the blocks collapses, repeat. Persist. Keep going. You can do it. I know you can. I'm cheering you on. If mommy and daddy can do it, so can you. You can! You Can-ada!" lol.
A light bulb moment hit me. That's right! There is a high chance of failure when you're just trying out. Why do we expect perfection every time?
You can be good at something as long as you put in the work and continually learn to improve. Both go hand in hand. It's normal to fail when you're a beginner. We learn best through failures. It's normal to feel frustrated. But don't stop. Learn to dust it off out of you and try again. Go for it until the blocks fit perfectly. Until you've accomplished what you've set out to do.
The next day he played with his Duplo blocks again. His stacks fell apart many times but I kept motivating him. Later I heard him encourage himself saying, "You can do it." "It's okay." I'm one proud momma to hear his positive self-talk.
When he pulled it off. He proudly declared, "Wow, nice!" Both the hubby and I giggled in response, eyes twinkling for a job well done.
