Recently, my wife, SO, sent me a newspaper article about a toy poodle by the name Anzu in Japan that is a police dog. It’s a strange thing and the idea of a tiny toy poodle being used in this role is something that I, and I suspect most people, would never have considered. But apparently, not only is she a police dog, she’s also a good and useful one.
But how, I hear you ask, does this relate to our children? Well, they have the answer, and you can read about it here.
If you didn’t read that, or haven’t done so yet, what they talk about in the article is how we as parents can use the example of that tiny canine in how we think about and treat our kids. By seeing the hidden abilities of Anzu she has become an invaluable part of his police team. And we can, and should do that with our children.
In raising our kids, in my case my son Jay, we should look for these talents. Not just the ones we can already see, but also those that are hidden beneath the surface. By being aware that there may be abilities that don’t show themselves in our daily lives we can be on the lookout for them. And when we find them, we’re already in a position to help our children to pursue them, and encourage them to grow in ways that may have never have occurred to us.
I know for SO and I, we’ll now be more aware of these things, and I hope that through Anzu’s story other parents will also do the same.