I'd say this line over and over to my infant niece and nephew and I grabbed their feet and brought them over their heads and then kicked their feet for them. The response was always laughter.
Now, they're older, in their elementary school days and their bodies are still flexible and a little less flexible unless their still working on it actively.
And how interesting that this is also true of their minds. We often stretch our bodies to keep up flexibility but don't bother to stretch our minds. This rigidity sets in with age if not worked on actively.
Growing up an Asian American with immigrant parents -- the Asian culture was passed down strongly as we grew up. This included the idea that IQ was a set thing (it actually isn't but changes as you work your mind or don't work your mind) and things like talent were set. These rigid ideas often led to the idea that I was either bad or good dependent on my performance. Instead of my actions or performance being bad or good. Which in turn, made we afraid to perform because I didn't want to be judged as a bad or good person. I just wanted to be a person.
It's refreshing to hear and see youngsters now being taught about having a "flexible mind" or as Carol S. Dweck of Mindset calls it, growth mindset. Being aware of the points where our thinking is rigid is a great start.
Although it's painful for me in my adult years to bring my legs over my head -- in fact-- I can't really get close, I still stretch. And the times I'm too tired and overwhelmed by the world and life in my older age to stretch; I remind myself of the infants that I played with and my hope for them of a healthier and more open life as they grow-up. It's just enough to get me to stretch even one leg if I'm lying in bed and to continue to look for ways to stretch my mind and keep that growth mindset.
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