Mary Pouline, Author and Founder, Sapience Publications
Hello, dear readers. I am Mary Pouline, here to share my monthly parenting insights. These days I’ve been speaking often about parenthood on my social media pages. In the process, I’ve gained new perspectives that I believe many parents will relate to. Through my recent posts and interactions, I’ve come to see parenting not as a fixed role, but as an ever-evolving journey. I hope this article offers some guidance for parents trudging through that journey.
Let It Germinate
Sprouts can have up to 30 percent more protein than fully grown vegetables. But for that to happen, they need darkness, quiet, and time.
As part of my healthy eating routine, I’ve been growing green gram sprouts lately: soaking them, draining them, and keeping them under a damp cloth in a dark corner. There’s no visible progress at first, no attention, no rush. Yet growth is happening quietly, beneath the surface.
Ideas grow in a similar way. When we get a new idea, the first urge is to share it with others. But not every idea is ready to be shared. Some need time to develop in private and space to take shape without too many opinions. Talking too early about an idea can give us a false sense of achievement, making it harder to follow through.
Parenting is much the same. Not every decision about a child’s growth or education needs to be discussed in five different WhatsApp groups. It helps to take advice from a few trusted people, but it’s also important to think and decide quietly, with intention.
Because whether it’s sprouts, ideas, or children, the strongest growth often happens off-stage.
Is There a Prodigy
Hiding in Your Child?
We often hear the word prodigy used to describe children who display exceptional talent, the kind who seem far ahead of their years in skill or understanding. But what really makes a prodigy? And more importantly, what helps a child reach their fullest potential?
History and research both show that extraordinary ability does not appear overnight. Even gifted children need guidance, encouragement, and the right environment to flourish. Studies suggest that nearly 90 percent of a child’s brain development happens before the age of five, reminding us how crucial those early years are.
But talent alone isn’t the point. What truly matters is curiosity, exposure, and the freedom to explore. Simple activities like reading together, solving puzzles, or letting children build and create can spark pathways that lead to lifelong learning.
Not every child will be a prodigy, and that is perfectly fine. The goal is not comparison but cultivation. Every child has a spark that, when nurtured with patience and consistency, can grow into something remarkable.
Instead of waiting for brilliance to appear, let’s focus on creating the right conditions for it to grow.
Transparency in Partnership and Parenting
I came across this story in a magazine a while back, and it has stayed with me ever since.
Once upon a time, a herbalist lived deep in the forest with his wife. Every day, he would go out in search of something but never revealed what it was. His wife stayed home, cooking, cleaning, and waiting for his return.
Years passed, and both of them grew old.
One day, the herbalist came home to find a young woman in the kitchen. Confused, he asked, “Who are you?”
She smiled and said, “I’m your wife.”
While making porridge that morning, her spoon had broken. She picked up a nearby stick to stir it, and the porridge turned black. Curious but unwilling to waste it, she made another batch for her husband and ate the dark one herself. Moments later, she became young again.
The herbalist was astonished. “That’s the thing I’ve been searching for all these years!” he cried. “Where’s the stick?”
His wife quietly replied, “I used it as firewood.”
The story ends there, but its message is powerful. Silence can cost us more than we realize.
If the herbalist had shared his secret, they both might have found what he was looking for. In relationships, keeping things to ourselves, whether emotions, struggles, or even small details, creates distance. Open communication builds trust, and trust strengthens both partnerships and families.
Whether between spouses or between parents and children, the principle is the same: honesty nurtures connection, and connection is where growth truly begins
