Five Important Life Lessons We Can Learn From Kids

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I attended my child’s carol service today, it was very refreshing and therapeutic watching all the presentations. It was all so overwhelming that I felt I was being taken years back in my head to when I was a little child. I can’t remember what role I played in my school play but I can remember now how so beautiful and innocent it felt like being a child. I was jolted back from my thoughts by the barely audible song rendition by the preschoolers, whom one could tell were so happy they were finally showing off all they had learnt and rehearsed. They were oblivious of their mistakes and just kept going.Childhood is just so blissful. I whine about missing childhood a tad too much that one might wonder if there is nothing good about growing up. On the contrary, the two periods in one’s life are totally different. Each period is not without its distinctive lessons. The sad thing however is that we grow up before appreciating and trying to relearn some values that naturally came to us as children.Being around so many children today reminded me of those values we ought to relearn from children. 

• Be determined, never stop trying: Have you ever stumbled upon a child who is trying to sit/walk/talk. Such child finds every opportunity to perfect that act. A child trying to sit on his own would probably scream when you are trying to make him lie down. I remember just how determined my daughter was when she was learning to stand and walk on her own. She put in so much work into it. It is the first thing she did whenever she woke and she fell asleep trying. Every day came with its own improvement and she just never got discouraged through the stutters and falls.

• Be forgiving: Children hardly hold grudges. You could hurt them this minute and in the other minute they are on your laps giggling at the silly faces you are making. This definitely makes them very easy going creatures with lots of room for love.

• Never lose your sense of wonder: Do you notice how children are always excited about new things.my child is awed by so many things that are favorite word has to be ‘wow’. The sense of wonder of the average child is greater than that of many adults. My niece stares at the sky for long minutes at a time that I cannot help but think of the thoughts that might be forming in her head. She probably wonders at the many shapes of clouds and the ever changing colours of the sky because she once asked Aunty, why is the sky black today?”

• Stay curious: No question is off limits with them, why is this not that, why is that not this. You find them spending hours checking an object and observing every part of it. They are ever ready to learn more.

• Be courageous: This trait of theirs is almost crazy. You can argue that this trait has to do with the fact that they do not know many things like how badly one can be scarred from playing with hot water or that naked electricity wires can be deadly, but it is also one of the reasons they are such awesome beings. Having no limitation make them explore and achieve so many more. They learn their lessons in hard ways atimes but it is never enough to keep them down.

 Growing up is really good, it is so super nice to be able to tell good from bad. Being an adult however makes us become too rational. We cannot particularly explore all the greatness within if we keep using logic because greatness isn’t always logical, there is a lot of risks involved in life. To conquer some of life’s challenges, unleash the child in you.