Rewarding Work

In my massage therapy practice, a woman brought her ten year old son in for a half hour session — it was the reward he had requested for having earned good grades at school. Though I’d done therapeutic muscle work with children who had been injured, having massage therapy be a premium for studying was a first. The boy was familiar with massage as his mother was a client of mine and he knew the basic routine. His mother stayed in the room and sat quietly during his session, while he enjoyed being professionally pampered.  She was a single parent without a lot of discretionary income — yet she told me that she wanted to encourage him at an early age, to be acquainted with bodywork and to understand the importance of taking good care of himself.  She said she hoped he would learn to prize self care as an integral part of his life. Over the years, I lost track of them — I hope he still looks after himself well.