I spend one third of my waking life with 3 and 4 year olds. I spend that time guiding, yelling, hugging, laughing, protecting, stressing and singing. And after all the lessons are planned, and all the themes are taught, I really and truly believe that I am the one walking away with a wider view of the world.
Yesterday Elena told me that Rosa Parks was sad because people weren't her friend because she had different skin. On Thursday, Bruce, who had never connected with a single child before, took Natalia's hand on her first day, and guided her to his favorite toy on the playground, the big cars. And at the beginning of the week Ceci explained that Bob Marley was a beautiful man because he loved everyone and sang pretty music.
Kids see the world. They don't live through it. They stop, and they look around, and they wonder. They take the time to question because they have no frame of reference to blindly fall back on. They are pure. They can be purely annoying, or purely stinky, or even purely hurtful. But whatever they are, whatever they feel, they do so without limits. They haven't yet learned to place those limits upon themselves.
So what happens down the road? How does each and every one of us, no matter how inspired, or how delightful we are, end up living in a world of self-imposed restrictions? We may not realize they are there, and we may not even live according to them. But we have created them. Like it or not, as an adult, you are bound. And only a small child can release you.
So I think it's about allowing them to. Let's put all of our trust, all of our energy, and all of our soul into our kids. Because if we continue to restrict our worlds, soon there won't be a world for them to observe without boundary. And that would mean a third of my life without guiding, yelling, hugging, laughing, protecting, stressing or singing. And I'm thinking that sure would be a sad place to spend my day.
