Teaching Children to Celebrate Our Differences

I have a new children’s book releasing with Zonderkidz soon and I’d love to tell you about the inspiration to write it.

When I was in elementary school I can remember feeling extreme panic when the teacher asked the class to read out loud. We would start at one end of the classroom and one by one we’d be asked to read. As the kids each read their portion and it got closer to me panic would set in. I had trouble reading as a kid and I’d stop at “small” words when I saw “big” words coming up so the kids didn’t know I didn’t know the “big” word, and during the pause try and sound out the “big” word in my head. All this to avoid being laughed at or seen as stupid. It usually didn’t work and the kids would often laugh at me when I didn’t know various words.

It was quite shaming as a kid and I had such anxiety and fear surrounding reading. And school in general. 

I always felt different than other kids.  

School overall was very difficult for me.

As an adult I discovered I had ADHD. No wonder I had so much trouble with reading and schoolwork and paying attention in class. I suffered greatly as a kid feeling like I didn’t measure up to the other kids. Getting help from others and feeling like I lacked the skills other kids was a common thing for me through my childhood. I felt like I wasn’t good enough and longed to be like the other kids. 

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized I had great gifting too. I even became a writer–which I never thought was possible. I wish someone had taught me to focus on my strengths instead of my weaknesses. 

Children can learn this early…

We all do not have the same gifting and we all are special in our own way. As a grandma I’ve watched my sweet grandkids struggle with not being able to master things fast and comparing themselves to others. Instead of comparing our weaknesses to another’s strengths we can focus on celebrating our differences and embracing our God-given talents. 

This is what Turtle Finds His Talent is all about: Teaching children to focus on their own abilities and specialness and God-given talents. This is a good lesson for us adults too. I have learned to adjust to functioning with ADHD and have learned to thrive in it.

There are good aspects to every challenge. 

God made each child special and unique. Cheering for and affirming differences fosters confidence and self-esteem. Talking about feelings like joy and sadness helps a child navigate and process emotions. When we read to our kids and then talk about the story we do just that.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading Turtle Finds His Talent: Discovering How God Made You Special to a child in your life.

For more from Lucille Williams check out her books on marriage, From Me to We, and The Intimacy You Crave. Have kids? Order a copy of The Impossible Kid: Parenting a Strong-Willed Child with Love and Grace. And please order soon Turtle Finds His Talent for ages 2-6. Subscribe to LuSays today for weekly encouragement.