Let Children Tell You a Thing or Two

It was the summer before my junior year in high school and I was staying with my oldest sister Sierra in Charleston. I was excited to spend quality time with her, but I was especially thrilled to go to work with her. Sierra worked at Sun Drops, a Montessori preschool. I was only given three mere days to spend time with the children and experience the job. While I was there I observed the children’s ways and watched as they mastered the keys to life.

Too often adults patronize children and correct their “so called” child-like ways. While it is important to teach a child right from wrong, maybe children are not the ones that need to be taught the ways of life. In fact, maybe adults could learn a thing or two about life from children.

Too often adults get caught up in routine. They take things too seriously. They forget to have at least one good belly laugh each day. They put work before their family and friends. They put too much pressure on themselves. They hold grudges. They forget to forgive others. They focus on perfection. They judge others by what they see. To me, to live life this way feels wasteful and painstaking. Adults struggle with stress and search for means of relief, when all they really need is to take a lesson from a child.

Pick a child, and follow him for a day and watch him and his ways. Children have already discovered the simple things that keep us going throughout the day. During my time at the preschool I noticed the perfection in how children live their lives. A child will abandon routine and walk away from their food during lunch time just to say hello to another child. A child will giggle when another child calls him a silly name instead of taking it seriously. A child will laugh numerous times throughout the day, so much that their tummies will ache. A child will take a break from his own activities to play with another child. A child will color outside of the lines and still feel immensely proud of himself and his work. A child will cry after having his toy snatched, but will without hesitation forgive and hug that other child within minutes. A child will disregard how a perfect student should act and go out of his way to make one of his friends smile, even if that means talking while the teacher is. A child will make friends with any child, despite his appearance : black, white, short, tall, skinny, big, boy, or girl. No matter the physical appearance, a child is a child and that is all that they see.

Because I love children I have paid attention to their behavior over the years. Children have mastered how to take on each day and make the most of it. Adults should learn to be more like children, this I believe.