9-Year Change

I have to share with you a little on the 9 year change. My oldest child is going through it and I suspect our school in it's 9th year may be experiencing the same sort of energy, although I've only heard of the 9 year change occuring in children!

As we know, many children gravitate to fairy tales and animal fables in the early years because these stories reflect the world that they inhabit. Everything is magical and the children are not so self-conscious yet, and they have the ability to unite with their surroundings and not feel separated from anything. For this reason, fairies and gnomes can feel very real to children at this stage in their development.

As they grow up, the children become more and more aware of themselves as separate beings, it is a sign that they are developing their ability to reason and think critically. This intensifies predictably around age 9 that we often refer to it as the nine-year change.
Rudolf Steiner describes this time as "a process of emancipation with consequences of greater import than we often realize."  He also has stated, "In the ninth year the child really experiences a complete transformation of its being, which indicates an important transformation of its soul-life and its bodily-physical experiences."

Although children react differently to leaving the sweet, dreamlike world of early childhood, one response is nearly universal: children become more conscious of their surroundings. It’s an awakening and what was once passed by unnoticed is suddenly focused on and questioned. This awakening to the world may be met with quiet astonishment or sharp criticism, depending on the child's temperament. Unfortunately, we parents are usually the first recipients of our children's critiques and judgments! When they were younger, they needed to see us as powerful and loving authorities because were completely dependent upon us, and that belief served a purpose. But now they have more developed egos and a clearer sense of themselves as individuals. We want to celebrate, as this represents the strides our young ones take as they build their sense of identity and assert their new boundaries. However, it’s not always easy listening to your child point out your faults!