Page 17 - MHC Magazine 2018

Milnerton Hebrew Congregation - High Holy Days 5779 17
Dear Congregants, Family and Friends

The biggest gift we experience daily at
Dafna is the smile on the children’s faces.
For me, it’s always wonderful to see how
the children transform before our eyes.
Compared to the tiny tots that arrived in
January, seeing them today I marvel at
their progress. To see the children thriving, developing, socialising, creative and content is reward in itself.
They have learnt to play, to take turns, to share, to work and to learn together, to dance and sing and to
know boundaries and reach for success. The messages that we value are tolerance, diversity and caring for
one another. Our children need to learn, from birth, intrinsic values and morals and essential lifeskills to
help equip them to face the challenges they will encounter in their lives ahead.

Children need the opportunities to grow and develop at their own unique individual speed and pace. The
growth process cannot be rushed! In time we will all sleep in our own beds, throw away our dummies and
nappies, learn the ABC, and how to count, read and write. We will all, G-d willing, have our bar/bat mitz-
vahs, say our vows under the chuppah and go out to face the cruel, harsh realities out there. Nurture them,
love them and protect them in these formative pre-school years. All will be achieved and accomplished at
the appropriate time and in due course. It is unreasonable to expect them to acquire skills they are not
developmentally ready or able to perform.

I have learnt over the years that children go through various developmental stages and there are milestones
and norms that are reached at certain ages. However, more than anything, I have learnt to treasure, adore
and celebrate the uniqueness of each child. In our policy of inclusivity, we need to embrace the fact that
each child grows and develops at his/her own pace. Just like the apples on our apple tree for Rosh Hasha-
nah, we all grow and ripen at different times, and who is to say, that the apple that ripens last is not the
sweetest and juiciest of the lot.

May New Year bring us all sweetness, health, joy and happiness.

Chag Sameach
Cheryl Bernstein