When you’re in your 20’s while in university and often dependent on your parents, it’s a little hard to feel entirely like an adult and not still a kid. I’m sure we all know adulting is challenging and isn’t always what we thought it would be like as a kid who couldn’t wait to grow up as soon as possible.
I’ve always loved working with children and have been doing so for over ten years already. Even during the pandemic, I spend hours every day at an education center working with young kids. My days are spent with kids telling me about their latest new crush at daycare, asking me why the sky is blue or accidentally sneezing right in my face. Even though it’s tiring work, being around kids every day reminds me a lot about the important things in life. Sometimes we just need to take a break from adulting and start thinking more like a kid.
Kids never cease to amaze me with what they find exciting. Cars driving past the window bring them immense joy and can keep them occupied for hours. With so many wonders in the world, adults should also take some time to pause their busy lives and enjoy the simpler things. Maybe it could be to get excited about a new album by your favourite music artist releasing soon or plan a future vacation with your best friend post-COVID.
Kids are genuinely helpful and kind with no strings attached. They don’t expect anything in return when they do something kind for you. If there’s anything we can learn from kids, it’s that being kind to someone else is one of the simplest things you could do at no cost. Adults can often be so focused on their own success and lives, that it’s sometimes hard to remember that something as easy as smiling at a stranger or telling your cashier to have a good day could really make all the difference.
Kids love exploring something new. It doesn’t matter what it is, they love to look and play with it. Kids are so keen on trying new experiences and that’s an important lesson we can learn from them as adults. Take your leap of faith! If you want to try bungee jumping, go for it. If you want to pick up a new hobby like painting, go for it. No matter how small or big, it’s always great to be open to new experiences. Even the smallest differences could spice up your usual daily routine.
Kids let themselves feel their emotions. Working with kids every day means a lot of crying sessions that last either only 5 seconds or more than 5 minutes. While I’m not suggesting we should all have full-blown breakdowns (although sometimes, very necessary), we should all let ourselves have a good cry once in a while. It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling because it’ll help you feel better afterwards rather than bottling up strong emotions.
Adulting is stressful enough itself, and we should all try our best to always be a kid at heart. Spend a day with a little one in your life and it’ll help you view the world with curious eyes and open minds too.