Being a kid is probably the best thing ever. My biggest worry was whether or not I could play kickball with my friends -- or if my homework worksheet was too time-consuming to make it outside. Considering this, I would kill for the chance to go back to being a 9-year-old. Fortunately, I come from a huge family meaning there’s lots of little cousins around I can relive my childhood through. The youngest of these cousins are now nine-years-old, and, although they’re young, they are some of the wisest people I know. I’ve come to realize these 9-year-olds know what they’re doing more than I do… which leads me to this: 9 things you can (and should) learn from 9-year-olds.
1. Always have a sense of humor in everything you do.
Pretty much everything is funny to a 9-year-old. Their older cousin tripped down a stair in front of them? Hilarious. Watching a video of a dog? Constant entertainment. As adults, it’s often times hard to see the humor in the things that a 9-year-old might, but their willingness to laugh should be appreciated by people of all ages. Think about it: why don’t we see the humor in things more often? Try to find a reason to laugh at any given point of the day, even on your worst of days. 9-year-olds can (and do) and I’m convinced they’re happier individuals because of it. I’m not really sure when kids stop thinking everything is funny -- maybe a switch just goes off in our heads -- but the laughter should really never stop. So, next time you’re feeling down or feeling any way take some time to laugh. I promise it won’t hurt.
2. Stick up for yourself.
If you had siblings, you know this to be true. When you’re a kid, you never did anything wrong. There’s no way you would ever say that you started the fight with your brother, and always fought back when you felt you were being treated unfairly. As we get older, we tend to let people walk over us more. Maybe it’s your boss, or your best friend or your boyfriend, but too often adults let others take them for granted. Be confident, realize your worth, and know when enough is enough. Be sure of yourself enough to know when fight back -- your 9-year-old self would be proud.
3. Love yourself.
My 9-year-old cousins think they’re the coolest people on earth. They could look at themselves in the mirror all day and take (way too many) selfies on my phone when they steal it from me. I would love to go back to days where I didn’t look in the mirror and see my own imperfections or change four times before picking the perfect outfit. What changed over the years? Our own perceptions of ourselves are shaped by society, the media, and worrying about our peers’ views. Although our bodies have definitely changed, we should realize that we are still the same person living in that same body we used to love. Your 9-year-old self thought you were great, and you at this point in your life is just as great -- if not better.
4. Be selfish -- in a good way.
Yep, I said it. Sometimes it’s good to be selfish. 9-year-old thoughts generally revolve around what is happening to them and rarely contemplate the problems of others. While I’m not saying you should never think about others, if you’re anything like me sometimes you forget to think about yourself. As adults, we get so wrapped up in the problems of others, and sometimes we forget to take time for ourselves. Learn to love and care about yourself although that may make you feel uncomfortable. Doing so provides a confidence boost; we acknowledge that we ourselves are worth caring about, so maybe being selfish isn’t always so bad after all.
5. Celebrate small victories.
Everything’s a victory when you’re a kid. Good grade on your test? Your paper got put on the fridge. Everyday victories were constant and you were genuinely proud of yourself for them. I know, personally, as a college student I never seem to celebrate small victories. There’s always something. Even if you did something great, someone else did something better. Adults need to celebrate small victories more than anyone -- because life’s hard. Start learning to appreciate the things that you do that you yourself consider a victory. Went to the gym? You rock. Got out of bed without hitting snooze eight times? Good for you. Celebrate yourself today and every day.
6. Be persistent.
While I complained about my parents nagging me, in reality, I probably nagged them more as a kid. I begged and pleaded and was always interested in getting what I wanted -- what kid isn’t? Although I didn’t always get my way, sometimes it would work and I knew my persistence had been key. Obviously this isn’t exactly applicable in the real world as nagging your boss wouldn’t get you a promotion, but persistence will always be admired and pay off. Pick a goal and stick to it. Dedicate every moment you can to achieving the outcome you desire. Don’t be lazy, because in the end your persistence will set you apart from the others.
7. Daydream.
I cannot stress this enough. Along with many of the other things mentioned in this article -- I’m not really sure at what point in our lives that we stop daydreaming. Though it may seem unproductive, hear me out, daydreaming is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Daydreaming helps you to realize things that you want. Yes, your goals may be somewhat unrealistic, but as we daydream we may realize goals for ourselves we didn’t even know we had. Dream big, acknowledge that your unrealistic goals are allowed to exist, and you are allowed to fantasize about them as much as your heart desires. Don’t think that you’re too old to daydream, and no daydream is too big.
8. Make time for things that make you happy.
This is a no-brainer. Every kid wants to be happy at all hours of the day, and try to make sure of their joy by any means possible (or crying and pouting may ensue). Why shouldn’t adults strive for the same goal? We spend too much time indebted to the things we think we should be doing instead of the things that actually bring us joy. Consider activities that make you happy, and actually do them. Unapologetically. They may not be productive (or may seem strange to be doing as an adult), but do them anyway. Pursue everything and anything that makes you happy.
9. Look up to people.
Whether or not you realize it, kids are influenced and learn so many things from the people around them. While this can be positive or negative, we should take a nod from kids and realize that we as adults should still look up to people. Realize the strengths in other people, and channel them. Since you’re older and are able to realize this now, see the weaknesses in other people and try to prevent them in yourself. Oppositely, emulate the strengths of your peers and make them your own. Be observant, and know that the world around you can teach you so much. Also, learn that you can “look up” to people that are younger than you. I do, and without doing that this article would have never been written.
While it may be funny to try and learn from people with much less educational experience than yourself, there’s so many things that 9-year-olds do that we as adults should implement into our everyday lives. While I (unfortunately) will never have the simplistic life of a 9-year-old again, I can and will realize that I can simplify life by learning from kids. So -- try these things out for yourself, your 9-year-old self would want you to.
