It's not just a phase

Phases of Life

Oh it's just a phase they are going through!

It's dismissive. It makes you feel like a two year old. It says you'll get back to “normal” shortly.

It's none of those things, not even if you are a two year old and the worst thing anyone can do is just ignore it.

Young children cannot learn by being told. Imagine explaining to a child how to walk while keeping their legs tied together. What do you think the chances are that child is going to learn to walk? The answer is nil, zero, none. That is because the child must experience balance and movement to walk.

However, as the child grows older the parents expect them to learn by being told not to do something. The stove is hot.

Oh admit it, every one of you touched the stove and got burned.

And so it just goes on and on. Not even those brilliant teenagers are that good at learning something by reading about it. Tell me, do you think you can gain confidence by reading about someone who is confident? Am I crazy? No, that is exactly what you think because you just said it was a phase they are going through.

Those phases allow a person to try on and practice a new form of life expression be it being a spy or an assertive person. Women are more likely to be going through phases than men because men are allowed to express themselves and women are locked into the “lady mold”.

Phases do more than that. By experiencing a new life perspective, a person develops empathy with others in different situations. It allows a person to incorporate new expressions of themselves into their overall personality. It is a simple of way of uncovering talents and learning what you really don't want to do.

It is not just a phase. It is how you successfully learn to be human. It is how you learn what works and what is going to get you isolated. It is how you learn what you love. It is how you grow.

Encourage the phases. They will do more to produce a well rounded happy individual than all the money in the world.