Another Perspective

Children can teach us a lot if we observe their behaviors. As we get older, we think we must form a plan, have it all figured out, follow the ‘rules’, be serious and work hard, make do with how things turn out, take care of our loved ones, and if we’re lucky, find time in the day to take care of ourselves and squeeze in some exercise.

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

L. M. Montgomery

Children live in the moment. Every day is a fresh start, and they enthusiastically welcome the new adventure with a sense of wonder and delight. They take time to indulge their curiosity and enjoy the process of learning new things. They don’t stress about what’s going to happen later, they only focus on now. As babies learn to walk, they keep on trying. They don’t fall down a couple of times and say, “Oh well, there’s no use trying; it’s never going to work. I’m a failure.” No, they keep on trying and testing their abilities.

Children also tend to laugh a lot. They find amusement in many ways and have fun doing the simplest things. They are not worried about getting their daily fitness in, because they are playing and moving and just having a good time. As children, we used to play tag and ride our bicycles, and we never thought of it as exercise or something we had to do in order to be healthy. It was play, it was fun, and it was the highlight of the day- something we enjoyed.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

Charlie Chaplin

Another thing children do is express themselves and release their emotions. They don’t keep things bottled up, especially very young children. Rather, they let themselves honestly express their feelings and everyone around them knows whether they are happy, sad, hungry, angry, or sleepy. They don’t judge their feelings; they accept them, feel them fully, and then move on.

“A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” 

Paul Coelho

This is not to say that we should have a tantrum when things don’t go our way, because there is a difference between being childlike and being childish; however, we should feel safe enough to express our emotions in appropriate ways. We would be better off if we stop stuffing down our sadness or refraining from being too happy that we did something well because it might seem like bragging. When we downplay it often enough, we soon believe in our own mediocrity. We should own it when we achieve something.

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”

Franklin Roosevelt

For children, everything is possible. As far as they are concerned, everything is an adventure, there are always solutions to problems, and if they can’t figure it out on their own, they ask for help. They also tend to ask “Why?” or “Why not?” often.  They use their imaginations creatively and see themselves as the hero(ine) of their story.

As adults, we know that there are rules for just about everything. We know the limits and restrictions on things and while some of these are for our protection, other ones are self-imposed and based on false assumptions we made somewhere along the way. We more than likely have stopped asking “Why?” or “Why not?” because when we experience rejections, failures, or embarrassment we often internalize it and feel that we are not good enough and are the failure, rather than having had an experience of failing. We don’t want to appear weak or incompetent, so we don’t always ask for help.

”Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”

Dorothy Thompson

If we learn to look at things a little differently, more like we used to as children, then we can relax more, have fun, and be present for ourselves and our loved ones. What story are you telling yourself about your life?

“See the world through the eyes of your inner child. The eyes that sparkle in awe and amazement as they see love, magic, and mystery in the most ordinary things.”

Henna Sohail