Parents are flexible enough to postpone their planned activities from time to time and let a child's creative idea or direction lead the way. Children are encouraged to voice their emotions and to talk about their hurts and fears with attentive, responsive parents. Children can choose play activities based on their own feelings of interest and boredom and not the decisions of another person. The efforts of young children are regularly encouraged and prized. Children s sense of wonder is damaged and grows weak if their efforts are often met by adult corrections and criticism.
Wonder becomes possible when children can risk being themselves without there being any risk at all.
1 Carson, Rachel. The Sense of Wonder . 2 Wordsworth, William. Washington Square Press, 1952. Reprinted with permission of the author.