Children and Why we Need to be More like Them.

Lately, I've been thinking about the differences between adults and children, the way we process things and relate to one another. I've noticed that while we both want to be recognized, children really want to be affirmed.

They want to be acknowledge and remembered. I have 6 grandchildren and I instruct the primary grades as a sub teacher when I am not writing, illustrating or publishing. So, I know a little about children...

And I've noticed that children really like the adults in their world to acknowledge them. Its a cool thing to notice because even though you may have had to send a child to the office for some behavioral issue, the next day you see them they are often eager to greet you!

They are resilient and they love to be acknowledged even if your last encounter with them resulted in their receiving some type of discipline for unacceptable behavior. I think that's cool. They know how to forgive and move on with the thing much better than adults.

Adults are so burdened with the weight of trying to reconcile our emotions and thoughts about one another. We attribute intent to other's actions and we spend a lot of time analyzing our actions. So if we are offended by another adult, it takes more time to process whether we want to be on friendly terms with them again. That is the problem with growing up.

We lose our childlike instincts to just say 'Ok, I'm sorry'. Being an adult means many things, most of which are great in terms of privileges however when it comes to relationships we are so much at a disadvantage as compared to children.

I think Christ loved the simplicity at which children process things. He loved their hearts. Their ability to accept without judging and scrutinizing, doubting and being sarcastic. Their ability to have faith in something without having to know how it works...

Adults are so skeptical. We need to have empirical proof of everything because the world has taught us to not trust others. We have learned to not accept but rather challenge all suppositions. These are things the world teaches you after you have lived enough minutes on this planet...We can learn a lot from children.