I have been spending the past week in Colorado with my nieces and nephew. Okay, so my whole family is here too, but let’s focus on the little ones for now. We all know the phrase “you learn something new everyday.” Sometimes we learn a new piece of history, we learn a new skill or we learn a lesson. In order to learn, we have to look for teachers. In some cases, our teachers can be younger than us. Here are seven things I learned from watching a four-year-old, a three-year-old and a 17 month old for a week.

Repetition is Key:

Because my nephew is four-years-old, his words are a little difficult to understand. Every once in a while, I find myself asking him “what?” two, three or even four times. While this helps him learn to articulate the words he is saying, it teaches me that with repetition, the ideas become clearer. Whether I’m learning a song on the piano, learning lines for a play or a new formula for math (this one is unlikely), it is important to practice and commit the new skill to memory. This also requires that I set aside time to be sure I can practice new things.

Questions Are Essential to Learning:

My niece is very smart for a three-year-old. She learns so much because she is constantly asking questions. “Why is it raining?” “What is this?” "What was that noise?” “What does that mean?” She has a question for every new stimulus she encounters. I am at an age where I forget that questions are okay. If you’re at a new job, it’s okay to ask questions, because it ensures you will be doing a good job. If you’re on a date, it’s good to ask questions, because it helps you connect to the person you are talking to. If you are lost, it’s okay to ask questions, because it points you in the right direction. I sometimes feel embarrassed to ask questions because I think it makes me look dumb. Instead of thinking about how I appear before asking a question, I think about how much smarter I will be after asking a question.

There is Always Time to Play:

Life is monotonous. Wake-up. Coffee. Brush teeth. Go to work. Eat lunch. Go back to work. Go home. Make dinner. Watch TV. Go to bed. Repeat. Kids don’t have to work, so they have more time for play. They are constantly playing. They find a twig and pretend it’s a sword, they grab a blanket to make a cape and they go in the forest and pretend it’s a kingdom. Sometimes I forget to take time to myself, and this causes a lot of stress. Having my niece and nephew around gives me time to play with them and toys. The last time I played with a toy was probably when I was ten. I traded toys for pens and textbooks. While it’s a requirement of life to grow up and go to school, it is not a requirement of life to give up playing.

It’s Okay to Make Mistakes:

Just like questions are a part of learning, mistakes are also a part of learning. As kids, my niece and nephew get reprimanded for making mistakes. It doesn’t feel good when they get reprimanded, but they learn from their mistake and don’t do the same thing again. I find myself getting very frustrated when I make mistakes, and it drives me insane to not do something right. I spend too much time getting worked up on errors. Instead of getting worked up on errors, I learned to take a moment to reflect. I ask myself, “why didn’t that work?” I figure out what the missing pieces are, and I fix them to make sure I don’t make the same mistakes. Sometimes my reflections can take a second or a week. Regardless of how much time it takes, I find it’s okay, because I’m taking the time to improve myself.

Little Things Can Cause a Lot of Excitement:

Like I said before, kids will take a blanket and make a cape or a stick and make a sword. They get excited by so many things. My nephew will hear a song and start dancing wildly. My niece will see a flower and giggle with glee. They’ll see each other after a month apart and instantly embrace and joyously jump. As an adult, I’ve done some pretty cool things, and I no longer get excited by twigs on the ground or kites. I find myself searching for high stimuli, but it doesn’t require trips far away or high adrenaline activities. Sometimes the museum down the street can be as exciting as the roller coaster. The coffee shop can be just as rewarding as the mile hike up a mountain. Trying a new dish at your favorite restaurant can be better than the favorite you get every time you go.

Take a Moment to Breathe:

Young children run. EVERYWHERE. They are constantly moving. They also scream. These two things sound intimidating and terrifying, but this is one of the things that makes children so much fun. Every once in a while, they get too tired and need to take breaths. Children (and good parents) know that children can get over excited and need to take time to breathe. As adults, we become inundated with work and stress. Every once in a while, I find myself out of breath. It can happen after walking up steps, dancing too hard at Green Turtle or hiking too hard. While hiking, I’ll be sure to sit down for a little bit and check my breathing. I have to regain my breath. Breathing is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to de-stress. It doesn’t require I go anywhere or spend any money.

Everything Will Be Okay:

Because kids are always running around, they are prone to accidents. They can fall on sidewalks or run into walls. After these types of accidents happen, it tends to be followed by loud crying and screaming. In that moment, they are crying because it’s the most pain they have felt. But as adults, we learn the pain will eventually subside. Life sucks. We go through break-ups, the passing of family and friends and loss of jobs. In the moment that these things happen, life may seem like it’s over, but in the same way that the pain subsides as children, we will eventually get better.