Know Thyself

As T went up the stairs to bed and I asked the inevitable questions, have you brushed your teeth and done your puffer, he explained that something I had bought for him didn't suit him.

It was an experiment on my part and something I thought might be nice for his beauty routine.

I found myself telling him that that was exactly my aim in bringing him up. My overall aim is for him to know what suits him and what doesn't. It means recognising the feelings, putting them into words and knowing what it is like to be in an environment where he can openly share them.

Today H had a similar process, but with electrical equipment. It was more bumpy and lasted all yesterday as well as today. His birthday headphones had started to buzz constantly. He wanted me to return them and get a refund, he still wanted to use them, they just weren't right.

After a lot of feeling frustrated he hit on the idea that the batteries might be worn out. He took them out, asked me for rechargeable ones, fitted them in, tried them for a while, hit on the idea that they might have had hardly any charge when they came out of the packet, let me charge them up again, tried them out, then set up a system for having 2 on charge in his room while he wears out the other 2. Happiness all round.

So 'know thyself' involves a search for truth at all levels and can be easy or difficult. There is a feeling of rightness when it is found.