"Adults are just outdated children." — Dr. Seuss
Being a lifeguard and a nanny, I’ve been given the gift of being able to interact with children more than your average college student. My crayons and coloring books have come out of retirement and I’m a professional at freeze tag. But besides all the fun and games, I’ve been blessed with the unique opportunity of being able to actually talk to little kids. Not talk at them, but talk with them, and truly have a conversation with a young mind growing up in this evolving world. And the things I have learned from these genuine conversations make me wonder: were we this wise at five? Maybe the world is giving us the answers before we grow up and even know the questions.
So here are some very important life lessons I’ve learned from one of my favorite little five-year-old friends. Between dancing to Kidz Bop (yes, it still exists) and annoying her big sister, this little girl found a way to be my life coach too.
1. “You’re supposed to color outside the lines, that’s what makes the picture complete.”
Life isn’t supposed to be this step by step story. You can’t live a life where you just cross things off a list. The whole point of life is to actually get out there and live, to experience new things and discover new perspectives on the world. When you grow up there’s so much importance placed on following the rules and fitting into a mold, but there is no perfect path to the future. Let the blank space on this page of your life be colored with your own stories and experiences. The most beautiful pictures are the unexpected master pieces. Move over Picaso, take a hike Monet, this mermaid coloring sheet is true art.
2. “Every minute is a good minute for ice cream.”
This girl is a genius, I’m telling you. Little kids truly do appreciate the sweeter things in life. Think about ice cream as that thing in life that makes you happy, that thing that makes your heart smile. Reading a book, chocolate chip cookies, an afternoon with your best friends, your favorite song on blast, that person you think about when you let your mind wander. Life is too short to not make time for these things! Can you imagine if your life ended tomorrow and you didn’t get to eat any chocolate chip cookies first?! Make every moment a moment full of what makes you happy. Every minute is a good minute to be happy.
3. “Every person you meet can become your friend. We all need a friend.”
Little kids have this magic ability where they can become best friends with someone they’ve just met in four minutes time. They may not even know each other’s names but they’ll play until they can’t play anymore. Today it’s often hard to find a genuine friend or be one ourselves. Remember what it was like before growing up taught us that people aren’t always going to do what good people are supposed to do? It was so much easier to form relationships and become a part of each other’s lives. It’s like we’re all too scared of feeling connected with another soul that we’d rather be alone. And then because someone wasn’t a very good friend to us, we accept the ideology that we don’t have to be good to others. When did we forget how to connect to one another? When did we lose the ability to find a friend in our crazy day to day lives? We must aim to connect to others, create new friendships and be kinder to one another. Life’s a lot harder alone. And besides, you need friends to be able to play freeze tag
4. “Growing up is really scary.”
You said it, kid. And growing up always will be scary. There is never a point in our lives that we will stop growing. People are like flowers. We’re meant to always grow and evolve and develop and change into a better person for our own selves and for society. If there’s ever a moment in your life in which you stop evolving, then you’ve stopped living. The things in life that scare us, and challenge us, are the things we need to do. Think of all the things you’ve experienced by stepping out of your comfort zone. You wouldn’t be the “you” you are today if you didn’t take on every curve ball life has to throw you.
5.“If someone is mean to you, throw them out the car window.”
I never said all of her advice was legal. But if someone in your life is unkind or spreading bad vibes you don’t have to let them be in your life. Always remember that your own happiness is essential. You control the things and people you let into your mind and heart, and no one can influence you without your approval first. Good vibes only! And if you do need to throw an exceptionally mean person outside the car window, don’t worry we won’t tell.
Maybe it’s time that we look back to the time before we learned it all. You’re naturally a lot better at life than you believe yourself to be. And always remember that kids are our future. Their minds and their hearts are just as important, if not more important than every adult you will ever meet. Treat children with the love and respect they deserve and more.
"Children are our most valuable resource." — Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States
