Recognition that children's earliest verbal expressions emerge from deep desires for connection, and that honoring these longings teaches both authentic communication and healthy relational boundaries.
Rabia's poetry speaks perpetually of longing—a yearning for union that drives all spiritual seeking. Young children, too, communicate primarily through longing: they cry for presence, babble for attention, reach for connection. Rather than suppressing this longing or treating it as mere need to be satisfied and dismissed, this concept elevates it as the sacred source of language itself. When a child's cry of longing is met with presence rather than quick pacification, they learn that their deepest desires matter and can be named. This teaches authentic communication: words become vehicles for genuine feeling rather than tools for manipulation. Simultaneously, children discover through repeated interaction that some longings are met immediately, others require patience, and still others point toward the deeper belonging found in community. Play becomes the language of collective longing—shared desire that binds the child to others.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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