Sometimes kids have it all figured out and we are the ones who over complicate life. As we go through our busy daily schedules, it’s easy to forget how amazing life can be. We need to take a few minutes and learn a few things from young kids!

6 Things We Can Learn from Our Kids

Ask the right questions:

Spend a few minutes with a toddler who is learning to speak and you will quickly understand that asking the right questions is the best way to get through life. What’s hard for us as adults is finding the right answers. Just asking the questions is often the best place to get started navigating life.

Kids want to know Why, Where, When, and What for? They won’t take no for an answer and want to figure out the real reasons. As adults, we often settle for mindless answers as we are juggling laundry, school schedules and overtime at work.

When our kids come home from school, maybe we should ask them open-ended questions, rather than just a simple “How was your day?” Could we dig deeper and actually communicate instead of just talk on the surface?

Forgive Often:

Young children don’t hold grudges. When someone takes a toy or the last cookie, they often get upset but it doesn’t last long. They can usually be heard or seen playing with the child who hurt them within a few minutes. As parents we encourage them to ‘say sorry, hug and be friends’. Why is that so hard for us to do the same?

Snack Often:

When kids get hungry, they grab a snack. Typically as parents, we make sure they have healthier snack options like grapes, bananas or granola bars. But when we get busy with projects, we often either skip meals completely or grab something that is not a healthy snack. Maybe we should keep a snack box filled with smart snack options even when the kids go back to school.

Take care of ourselves:

None of us want to raise selfish kids, but there are certain aspects of being young that we should remember and emulate. Young kids are not afraid to stop when they are tired and take a nap; they run to the restroom whenever they feel the need and they will just stop a task if they get tired. They understand that it is important to take care of their own personal needs even if it is inconvenient. But how often do we as adults go the opposite direction? We stay up late working on projects and get up way too early just so we can accomplish everything on the to do list. We need to remember to take care of ourselves so we can be able to care for those around us.

Always Explore:

Kids are constantly on a mission to discover something new! They love to crawl on the ground chasing grasshoppers or run around the backyard looking for fireflies. Kids love to build castles with cardboard boxes or forts with the blankets off their beds. As adults we might look a little funny building a fort on top of our desk at work, but we should always be on the hunt to discover something new!

Be Amazed!

Think about the first time you saw the ocean waves crash over the sand. Remember the feeling of awe when you watched a butterfly open his wings after coming out of a cocoon. When we see the sun come up over the hills, we need to stop and take the to time be amazed. Children still get fascinated by the little things, but we get so busy that we take life for granted.

What do you think are some things we should learn from young children?

Excerpts of this article first appeared in the Advocate Messenger, Danville, KY 9/4/16.