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Is there anything more draining than adulthood?  We have to work, pay bills, take care of our families, etc.  It can be fun, but it can also be stressful and a little boring at times. There are days we dream of being a kid again.  A time when everything was practically done for us and there wasn’t much we had to worry about.  We could play and explore without fear holding us back.  Well, I believe we can be a kid again, to an extent.  Kids provide great examples of ways to get more enjoyment out of life even as an adult.  Here are a few lessons we can get from kids. 

LEARN TO SEE THROUGH THE EYES OF A KID

Children see things differently then we, as adults, do.  Everything is new and fills them with wonder and curiosity.  They get joy out of little things like leaves and flowers and find excitement in trying everything.  The other day, while at the park, my daughter got especially excited when she discovered the ducks at our neighborhood pond.  She spent 30 minutes just watching them in total fascination.  And, honestly, after spending just a few minutes with her watching the ducks, I started to become more fascinated as well.  Taking the time to just sit and look at something I have seen a million times in a new way was refreshing and brought immense joy to my day. We should all practice looking at things from a new, fresh point of view as if it is the first time we are seeing it. It will brighten your entire outlook.

LEARN TO LET GO AND HAVE FUN LIKE A KID DOES

As adults, we get bogged down in the responsibility and day-to-day tasks that adulthood brings. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and we forget how to let loose.  Further, as we grow up, we start to put invisible masks on that cover up who we are.  We do this to protect ourselves from the judgement of others.  Children do not have these “masks” in place yet.  They are free to enjoy life as they are and, for the most part, do not much care what others are thinking of them.  This is never more obvious than when a kid is throwing a temper tantrum.  However, this is also obvious in the way they play and have fun.  

I frequently find my daughter dancing to music (or to a song playing just in her head) or randomly sticking a blanket over head and trying to walk which she finds hilarious.  A few weeks ago, we were playing outside, and she had the best time dancing and spinning around in the grass.  She frequently tells me “jokes”.  I can’t understand a word of what she says yet, but they must be funny because she can’t control her giggles.  If something seems fun, it doesn’t matter who is around, she goes for it. And that is how we should learn to be. 

We need to drop the “masks” and let our fun side out no matter how silly it may seem to others.  I admire the people who are dancing and singing at the top of their lungs in their car or dancing all out at a concert.  And really, if you think about it, someone out there might be judging you but, guess what?  They aren’t having as much fun as you.  They are only hurting themselves. You will get your fun in and go home, and their judgment won’t affect you one bit.  And, really, do you actually want someone like that to like you?

LEARN TO BE AS HONEST AS A KID WITH YOURSELF

Kids are brutally honest. They are so honest, they’ve developed television programs dedicated to the things they say.  While my daughter has not reached the age of shouting out inappropriate things, I have plenty of stories from friends and have been present for some hilarious, if embarrassing, moments.  My friend’s daughter once asked her mom, really loudly, why the woman next to them at the store was naked.  The girl was wearing a really short skirt.  Too short, in my opinion, and, in her daughter’s opinion, too.  It was pretty funny.  I heard a little boy once ask a man sitting nearby if he was farting a lot because he was stinky.  So glad I wasn’t with that little boy because that would be mortifying.  Nobody can point out your flaws like a child.  

And that is something I think we can learn from.  You shouldn’t focus on just your flaws or that can lead to a lack of self-confidence, but I think we can all benefit from being honest brutally honest with ourselves. If we aren’t where we want to be in life, we need to take a good, hard look at what we have been doing.  An honest look.  And see where you can improve.  Don’t let life pass you by because you kept a blind eye to all that you could do or be.

Keep Learning

I really believe that if you learn to see through the eyes of a kid, let go and have fun like a kid does, and start being as honest with yourself as a kid is, then you can definitely bring a little bit more joy and excitement to your life.  If you ever have a chance to really observe small children (preferably ones you know – don’t be creepy), take it and you’ll find many ways to be a kid again.  The joy they experience is second to none.