Impromptu plans are usually the ones that turns out the best, beneficial, fruitful, and worthwhile ones. Today, I managed to drop by a friend's glass studio to have a look at what glass can be recycled and made into. Turns out, ALOT! There were numerous glass terms and knowledge to learn and read for me now that I may delve into it one day.
There were beautiful glass pieces lying around the studio in every corner and I found out that they were shattered plates, cups, and even bottles. It was hard to believe that something so beautiful was made out of something broken and unwanted. Hard-work had to be put into creating the new glass pieces and they were not easy. Especially when you have to ensure that the sharp edges were sanded fine with no splinters around, because sometimes the small pieces of glass that were newly broken may hurt us. My friend kept on reminding me to be careful and as a growing young adult, I wondered of her need to remind me every now and then.
But there were a few questions in my mind, definitely. Had she ever cut herself with the glass before? Or could it just be her mother instinct since I tend to say that countless times to my students as well! I do not know the answers to my wondering questions and they may or may not have happened to her. But as I reflected upon these myself, her constant reminder to be careful, and the physical concept of glass itself being rather sharp and potentially dangerous, I can't help but wonder if she would allow a young child to handle glass pieces. Would she protect the child from these dangerous objects and say no to even touching them? Because isn't that what most parents do?
Parents are naturally protective creatures and doesn't want their children to get injured in any way. But on the other side of the coin, does saying no stops anything and everything? Why can't we use these potentially dangerous items and situations as learning points for children? Instead of saying no to touching and approaching sharp objects, we could teach and educate them on how to handle the items better instead. If we're afraid that our child may cut themselves with the sharp objects such as a knife, then we could teach them how to handle and hold knives in a much safer manner to avoid any unwanted injuries. But if they do injure themselves (because kids will definitely do injure themselves), let that be a lesson for them to remember how painful it was and then we could also teach them how to manage cuts and wounds so if they ever find themselves in a similar situation one day, they would know what and how to deal with it. Because chances are, they will definitely face the same situation and injure themselves again the future and we could only teach and educate them as they grow-up.
But alas, I am not a parent myself. My students are the closest to children that I see every week, and so I would implement these reflections and personal reminders to them, instead!
