Seeing Me

Today I made a connection between myself and my daughter-in-law. She is a brilliant early childhood educator who is raising my two and a half year old grandson. Since the day he was born she has posted photos and videos to a group chat titled ‘——- Updates’. She has employed her resourceful mind and her completely dedicated heart to providing structured and unstructured learning opportunities for him……daily…….consistently. All in the group chat can see that these learning opportunities take time and planning and careful creation. When I commented today that she has provided a rich and full two and half years of learning for him that most children don’t get in a full academic K-12 experience, she downplayed and minimized her brilliance and I recognized it immediately because I spent several decades responding the very same way. She and I share the defect I call self-blindness.

Is it possible that she’s never received recognition and praise from anyone else over that period of time? Is it possible that the daily posts of photos and videos isn’t evidence enough that my compliments aren’t gratuitous? How can she deny the scope of what she has accomplished with thousands of photos and hundreds of videos as proof?

She needs people to help her ‘see’ herself.

I need people to help me see me.

Seeing me..... is something I cannot provide for myself. Maybe I need a social environment to act as a feedback instrument. Funny…..because I left social media in 2020. I deleted my Facebook account and my Instagram and Twitter accounts. I do have a ‘secret’ Instagram account so I can follow those who make me laugh and lift me up, but no personal posting takes place there. Hmmm…….