On Children’s Day : The Curious case of Growing up

Something we all constantly look forward and admire is growing up. Every child waits to grow up. Eventually, we become grownups and then start the confrontation with the world. A curious child becomes a sophisticated adult. As an adult we still do not know everything but we stop being curious. We stop letting others know our inability to know everything. We stop putting questions. But if look upon our growth as a human being closely, it is only the inquisitive nature of humans that made us grow. Somewhere in the journey and urge to answer the questions we grew. Our curiosity made us different from other species and our urge to find answers made us grow.

A child’s best quality is curiosity and it must be retained till we grow up. We must have courage to ask when we are not sure. We must have an urge to know when we do not know. We must have openness to answer when others ask. There are a lot of things that we can learn from a child, I would enlist a few:

1.       Accept criticism: Whenever we criticize a child and tell him that something he did is wrong, the child accepts that. The child has courage to apologize and an intention to not repeat that. We must learn to offer open hands to critics, we must be courageous enough to apologize for what we did not do in the proper way. Adulthood doesn’t mean creating walls rather, adulthood is supposed to be open. The more open we would be the more growth would come to us.

2.       Failure is not permanent: When a child falls, the first thing he does is standing up. This is the attitude we must nurture. When we face failures, we must remember that failure is not permanent. Life moves ahead and we must have strength to rise and walk once again. Giving up is the easiest and the most stupid way of living. But moving on takes courage and strength. When we stand once again it symbolizes that we have enough strength to sustain the blow of fall and we have sufficient patience to face life once again.

3.       Everyone is family: Being adults we often tend to categorize people as friends, good friends, and best friends and so on. Children know that these categories are situational and momentary, they are happy with everyone and they offer a smile to everyone. As an adult we must come forward and help others. We should not bind us in these categories. Friendship is earned; it cannot be imposed on people. When we offer smile, help and openness we earn friends; when we categorize and draw lines we are just being adults.

4.       Ask: Have courage to put questions, don’t worry. No question is a silly question. We are not supposed to know everything and no matter at what level we are; people appreciate the ones who ask. No one likes a person who shows that he knows everything. Remember curiosity and the urge to get the answers is the key to grow. Humanity has grown because of curiosity. Be a child, ask.

Children spread positivity, not because they are not grownups but because they are different from us. Children are positive for everything. However stressed you may be the moment you see a child smiling for you, you forget all hassles and smile back. That’s the spirit, key and way to live.

In the words of Pablo Picasso, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”