The child mind — something that has been studied for years and changes so much within a short period of time. Something that cannot be taken away unless disturbed by a violent past. Something that we cannot really understand ourselves because, although we have experienced it ourselves, we do not remember why or how we once thought that way.
Working with kids is a mind- and eye-opening experience. Not only is it a way to bring back your inner child, but it is also a way to learn a lot. Children tend to look at the world through a naive perspective due to their parents, educators and caregivers. No one enjoys taking away a child’s happiness, so why should they think anything else? It is interesting for me to see this when talking to these children. I am not saying that all kids are oblivious to the world around them, but most of them tend to be this way. As a lifeguard, I see kids who think they are invincible. No matter how many times we say, “keep your back against the wall and sit criss-cross-applesauce,” they will still inch forward because they do not know any better. Trying to swim in the water without a life jacket is intriguing and exciting to them, but they do not really know their limits. They have not seen stories of people falling victim to a drowning incident. They have not seen someone perform CPR right before their eyes. They have not seen the bad in the world.
Now, I am not writing this to tell you that these kids need to experience traumatic events at a young age. This is not the solution. There may not even be a solution. This is the way a child’s mind works, so why should we take that away from them?
As a babysitter and camp counselor for a few years now, I see and talk to young children all the time. They sometimes say the weirdest things, but sometimes they know just what to say. When doing a project for my LA class, I had to interview people about love and how it is related to science. I chose a few people from my class, but I also decided to question the girls I babysit. When asked about loving someone as a friend versus loving someone who you are going to marry, this is the response I received: “Wedding love is when you love them, and you want to make sure that they are yours forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.”
First of all, I thought that was the cutest thing I had ever heard. Now, I know it is a simple response and maybe some people would not think that it was that big of a deal. However, in this society, we are surrounded by court cases and divorced families to the point where it is almost a fear to be married to someone. Everyone adult has witnessed or heard of a friend or family member who has been divorced. We, as adults or growing adults, have all experienced fear about this topic. If we all loved and looked at love the way a child does, none of this would be an issue. The simple response of “making sure that someone is yours forever” should be a thought that we all have in our minds. Cheating should not be an option, and it certainly should not be a concern.
I believe that the child mind is fascinating. They see things and ideas in a different way. They see everyone as equals. They see only the good in this world that seems to be failing us at the moment. They might not see the entire world through their little eyes, but they sure do know the answers to most of our questions. Their innocent minds see a lot more than we think they do. These young minds are the solution.
