The other day my 3 and 1/2 year old son said, "Daddy, when I get small, I want a bottle." At the high school level, our students often talk about and dream about graduating, getting older, and getting out of town. Young children, on the other hand, have a beautiful way of flipping things upside down. My son's sincere, matter-of-fact declaration forced me to pause and take inventory.
Am I in a rush to grow up, to succeed, to "make it"?
Is there an advantage to staying young or "getting small"?
What was my son expressing a need for?
How do I ignite the "inner child" in my students?
How do I acknowledge the "inner child" in my family, my friends, and my self?
A child's perspective has that uncanny ability to bring a warm, genuine, sarcastic-free smile to my face. A child's perspective snaps me out of the predictable and the orderly adult world. A child's perspective reminds me of my own humanity. Just read some of these insights on love to see what I mean. I put five of my favorites below.
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." -Kari, age 5
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." -Danny, age 7
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." -Bobby, age 7
"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." -Mark, age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." -Jessica, age 8
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