Life Lessons from Children

 

life lessons from children

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Paige Magee. Welcome back, Paige! Now that my son is two, I am learning more and more from him! Paige is spot-on in her post today about life lessons from children.]

“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.”

– Paulo Coelho

Anyone that knows me knows that I absolutely love children. I always have. I cannot wait for when I become a mother. Well of course I can wait, seeing I’m single and

should probably start my collection of cats, but you get the point. From the day I turned 15 years old and received my work permit, I have always worked with children – swim lesson instructor, early childhood education teacher’s assistant, ice skating instructor, nanny and babysitter. Even to this day, I still occasionally babysit for a family who I absolutely adore and feel privileged to have the opportunity to watch the children grow and develop their individual personalities.

Through the 10 years I have worked with children, I have come to know that children have the best hearts and are wiser than we realize. Children are inspiring when it comes to their confidence, courage and ability to enjoy life far more intensely than adults. So is it possible that their innocence and enthusiasm for life gives them a perspective that we world-weary adults may have lost? I say absolutely yes!

Below are the three most important lessons I’ve learned from these beautiful little souls:

1. Enjoy Yourself & Enjoy Life

“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

As adults, one of the most harmful attachments we can make is our attachment to the past and future. From time to time, I find myself dwelling in negative thoughts and emotions, while exciting things are happening around me and passing me by. Children embrace life and all it has to offer with open arms. They have the beautiful ability to find joy all around them. Children enjoy being themselves and live enjoying the present moment because they don’t have much past experience nor a concept of the future.

Their happiness is contagious. They know how to enjoy life…period. No ifs, ands or buts about it. They laugh often, are silly and don’t worry what others might think or say about them. Children remind me to sprinkle my daily routine with enthusiasm, and not take the joys of everyday life for granted. As Robert Brault explains: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

2. Wear Your Scars Proudly

“ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

I remember in elementary school, my best friend broke her arm. She came to school sporting a baby blue cast and practically everyone and their mother signed it. She became almost like a superstar in our classroom – the survivor. You see, when children fall down and hurt themselves, everyone wants to see the scar. Children wear it proudly. As adults, we cover our scars, and our wounds become our secrets. We tell no one where it hurts. We do this because we don’t want to be seen as weak or pitied. What we can learn from children is that our scars aren’t signs of weakness. Rather, they are signs of courage, strength and perseverance. They are our stories to be told.

3. Be Honest & Call It Like It Is

“ For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Corinthians 8:21)

I think everyone has experienced a time when a child expressed themselves with no regard, no filter. It can sometimes take us by surprise. Children can be brutally honest. They don’t understand the concept of sugar coating or lying for the sake of self-benefit. If they see something, they say something or ask about it. When children are arguing, they tell it like it is and scream it out before becoming best friends again.

We as adults can learn from this. We don’t always have to pretend were fine with the decisions and actions of those around us. I know it is cliché, but honest is key. Sometimes we just need to talk it out and maybe even scream it out. While I am all for being careful when it comes to other people’s feelings, children have taught me that a painful truth is more desirable than a comfortable lie.

So next time you’re frustrated or a child is challenging you, take the time to teach them because they have so much to teach you.

You want to know the truth about the world? Ask a child.

 

I’m a 24 year old from the Chicago suburbs. First things first, I’m on fire for Jesus and am constantly in awe of the grace that has been bestowed in my life. I’m still figuring things out and learning how to navigate this beautiful life God has given me.