What do you do when it is time for your child to give up their beloved binky? Susan, from The Kitchen Designer, discovered the Giving Tree on a recent trip to Copenhagen, and we were astonished (and a little moved) by what she saw. Check out her Flickr photos, and read the explanation, below.
She writes, "...when it's time for the child to give up their pacifier, or bottle or piece of cloth, and so on, the parent takes the child to the park and gives the item to the tree." We are struck by what a comforting ritual this might be for a small child, and since the tree is located in a public park, they are free to 'visit' their newly liberated binky, and take comfort in seeing how many other children have shared this experience.
If you click through the pictures in her Giving Tree set, it becomes apparent that there is a lot of love in this ritual. Some items are carefully protected in plastic, others have notes attached to them. Thank you, Susan, for sharing your wonderful find with us.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
My pleasure, Kristin! I'll tell you, I just got chills reading the description all over again. Imagine sitting down and writing a note to the tree? How reassuring is that? The tree isn't going anywhere! :-)
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The set of photos on flicker is amazing - it is hard to see the depth of participation in these small pics, but in the larger ones, that is a lot of children over a long period of time. I wish this had existed when I was a kid. it looks magical.
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This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I'm filing it away in my happy place.
view Marla Good's profile
wonderful!
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