O is for Opportunities: Building Skills



What kind of opportunities are we looking for in life?  Typically we want to be able to have a way to make a living, a home, food on our table and people who love us. As a result we are looking for opportunities to get a good education and a job that allows us time to spend time with family and friends too.

So, can we find a 'Wish' and close our eyes and blow and have it all come true?  Can we tap our heels together three times to find our way home or rub the genie's lamp to get three wishes?  Sharing these stories with children help them understand that it is 'magical' if a wish suddenly comes true but that with work, with dedication, it is possible to make dreams happen with the help of those around us. 

There is a fairy tale where a man and a wife live in a cottage and he catches a fish that gives him three wishes if he lets him go.  Sadly, they waste the opportunity and end up only with a meal of sausages. However, while they could have had so much more, and they recognize their faults, they decide to just be happy because they still had each other and their home and at least they had a meal they did not have before and it was good. This is a good lesson to be grateful for what you have and not expect things to just drop in our lap. These 'wishes' are not as wonderful as they first appear to be.

However, we have little ones in our lives and for them, everything is about providing them with opportunities to live, to learn, to love and to grow.  This is our heart desire and as a caregiver, it is our mandate.  While my children did not appreciate their father's constant reminders to study, he knew that education opens doors and provides opportunities that would not otherwise exist. We ensured they had a chance to learn to swim, to play an instrument and to follow an area of key interest to them. We gave them the opportunity to learn about God and truth, to know love, to have a home and provisions. We gave them the opportunity to be a part of a family that loves them.  Not everyone gets these opportunities so we do not take them lightly. They are huge blessings.

When you want to open doors, start building skills in the child(ren) in your life. Help them learn to read, to write, to speak, to listen. Give them the chance to work, to play, to learn. Surround them with people who love them and care about them and who can enrich their world with the skills and abilities that they have to share.  Opportunities are not always easy to find or create but we can work together to make them happen and then work some more to make the most of them. 

Go ahead and find a wish with your child  and make a wish. Have them blow out a candle and make a wish. Toss a coin in a fountain and make a wish. Then, help them make their wishes true by helping them build on their skills and find the opportunities that will lead to their dreams coming true. Helping them learn and grow is your opportunity to shine too! Together, we all shine.


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