Can you walk into a room and have everyone there light up with smiles? Do you make most people feel better just by your presence? Can you get them to meet your needs without telling them what those needs are?
If you can’t, what’s wrong with you? Those are basic skills most one-year old children have mastered. That means that at one time, you and I had those skills too.
Thanks for the invitation to come along with you as we seek to be more honest and childlike. It has been very fortunate that you have the children to watch and study without being the person in charge. You position as a spectator may be really good for us who want to go along in seeking a new way of experiencing our lives.
I don’t really think immersing the adult self back into the inner child would work, except for very short periods of time. Since adults are the caretakers, the adult-turned-child would go missing in action as a caretaker, or even just as someone who needs to be responsible for him/herself. Perhaps the adult-turned-child would need caretaking him/herself from a world that might frown on “immature” behavior. Plus, I think that noticing people’s needs and wanting to fulfill them is part of what makes people interesting. trustworthy and lovable. But I do love children, their freedom, their innocence, their trusting natures, their enthusiasm, the way they “get” the world. Childhood is special and children do need to be safe and loved in order to keep as “whole” as possible. Thanks, David, for giving me something to think about today!
Peace!
This is my fifth rewrite. Thanks for spending as much time as you have giving me reasons to live.
I felt horrible the first time I made Anaya unhappy. In part because my toddler Matty is still unhappy.
I want to help future generations develop in to loving, engaged adults who can help transform the obsessively LFC world we have helped make for them. It seems re/gaining a positive loving relationship with myself is an important step to being helpful. Especially if helping does not mean trading one hurt (forced value) for another.
Of course, it takes a village, or at least the resources of a village, to raise such children. Sites like this and the people who appreciate them are that village.
Love!
Yes, spending time with children (especially if we are free to be with them without major responsible ongoing caretaking roles) provides great gifts to us. I’ve so grateful for all the times I’ve spent with Kenzey, Teo, and Ani- my friends who shared play times with me over the past 12 years.
Thanks, as always, for noticing, appreciating, and writing.
Will