Listening to Children

Listening to Children is for those who wish to explore their listening. You might be a parent, educator, or caregiver who spends time with one child or many children. You might lead an organization that supports families or communities. You might be retired or working on the edges of systems related to children. You might long to connect with the creative child within yourself. You might be curious about new modes and realms of listening in general (whether listening to children or to trees or with the infinite more-than-human world). Anyone who is curious and open will be able to participate in meaningful ways.

So much of the attention required when caring for children keeps us at a distance from deep connection with them and what they know. We help and teach and guide and keep them safe. We listen in order to support and nudge and understand. It can feel “impractical” and “frivolous” to listen without observable reasons why, and it can feel challenging to loosen the logics our self-worth tied to the “results” of our “helping.” Yet it’s our listening without an agenda—listening that grows from trust and letting go—that expands our heartfield and opens us to deeper connection with children and ourselves. This takes practice, and practice within a community of other playful, curious humans learning to listen is a beautiful thing.

No. The material we’ll engage with as we practice listening to children can be real-time listening in an everyday context (e.g., kitchen, library, classroom, bus) or it can be listening to scenes of memory, glimpses of dream, connection with your inner-child, or something else. Physical proximity to children is not a requirement for how we’ll practice listening to children.

The only “requirement” for our practice together is an openness to explore and listen to your listening. Whether you rarely reflect on how you listen, or you’ve attuned to your practice of listening for decades, the content and process of Listening to Children will meet you where you are.

I encourage you to have a dedicated notebook to record your listenings (and reflections) throughout our practice together.

When we try to understand what we can’t see or touch it can feel complicated, abstract, or far away from our everyday realities. But we won’t be practicing in order to understand anything. We’ll practice listening as a way to deeply experience listening. This practice will support our 3D/physical/embodied connection to what often feels ephemeral, distant, or unreal. If this is new to you or it sounds strange, that’s fine. What we “think” about this isn’t important to our practice.

Yes, from inherent pollination… because any attention we bring to our listening will impact the whole of our lives and those around us, including the ways we already notice and listen to children. If your work includes processes of documentation and description of children, additional layers of perspective and modes of practice will only enhance your approach. The listening we’ll explore in Listening to Children is not in opposition to other kinds of listening; it stretches our capacity to listen in multidimensional ways.

No. All sessions will be recorded and posted on a private webpage. The recordings will be enough for you to engage with the essence of what we’ll practice. What you’ll miss if not attending live is conversation between you and others in our community and an opportunity to tell stories from your listening. It’s possible for you to practice on your own time if you join with a friend/colleague or if you have someone in your life with whom you can share and practice your learning alongside watching the recordings.

The Online Community of Practice begins soon (February 22) and is designed for individuals from various contexts and with various relationships to children. This is a good option for people who: want to practice in community and learn from the experiences of others; are curious and want to try something new for a short period of time; want to support the listening of others in a school or organization but want to take time to explore listening within themselves first.

The Site-based Community of Practice is a good option if: you have 3 or more people within your context who have an interest in practicing deeper listening; you’d like to determine the schedule and timing for the sessions; you want a customized focus for listening practice connected to the needs and interests of your group.