5 Reasons Why It’s Important To Remember What It’s Like To Be A Kid
When I was seven, I dreamt up a whole new world, one that was underwater. In the middle of this underwater world sat a gigantic silver and midnight blue mecca, complete with cavernous castles, markets, back alleys, a drawbridge to get to the underwater ships (like sailing ships — don’t judge me, I was seven), and a beautiful secret garden filled with mysterious plants that talked. Houses were made of a metallic blue and silver stone, one that emanated light and could power the cities. Roads were paved with lava stones, carefully handcrafted by artisans.
And in my story, books were created using ink from a squid and written on dried seaweed that turned white when ink was applied.
I wrote stories about the underwater world. I must have written at least two dozen. The main kids in my stories were Marie and Anton, twins who were the children of the king’s royal librarian. They would go on (what I thought) these wild adventures, saving an absent-minded healer when he wandered too far from his ship, stopping a man who wanted to collect little children as pets, hunting moon beam shells in an off-limits area for a birthday present, and even an epic battle with…wait for it…a large shrimp.
Again, I was seven.
I called it Louve, which is French for wolf mother. I remember the name because my teacher at the time was French, and I think that’s what her children called her. And the pets the kids in my stories, Marie and Anton? They each had their own loup de mer, or seawolf, a magical creature that could breathe underwater and do a whole bunch of cool things.
I even made maps, which I’m guessing now would look just like scribbles to anyone else. But to me? They were the virtual representation of the world I had built. And I loved them.
My mother wasn’t too fond of the Louve stories. To be frank, she wasn’t fond of any of my stories. She said that I was wasting my time building worlds that had, in her words, “rules that don’t make sense in the real world.”
“Why don’t you write about what you did today,” she’d say, taking my crayons and unlined paper away from me. Instead, she’d hand me a pencil and lined paper. “Write about who you saw and what you learned.”
I would do as she asked, since I loved learning and was curious. But she wasn’t ever happy with my writing.
“Why do you ask so many questions?” she’d say. “This is just how the world works. When you grow up, you’ll understand that.”
Who here remembers the magic of being a kid? Who remembers discovering things for the first time? Who remembers creating worlds with crayons and markers on paper (or even walls)? Who remembers making new friends and building secret clubs?
That was my childhood. I was forever getting into trouble because the kids in our apartment building in Japan would all get together and go off in adventures that would see us returned to our parents dirty, tired and hungry, but with smiles on our faces and new memories in our hearts.
It’s a little sad to think that so many adults today have forgotten the wonder of childhood. They’ve forgotten the power of compromise, being open-minded, working together to achieve a goal, and loving the best things humanity has to offer.
Thankfully, not all adults have lost the ability to remember what it’s like being a kid. Creators in all fields, from comics to books to movies, still remember. We continue to see the world as kids because it’s our job.
Because we’re meant to provide entertainment and inspiration to the new generations.
And because it’s a whole lot of fun.
What I’ve realized as I grow as a creator is that I have all the fun when I approach storytelling as a kid. I think: What do I want to see in a story? What would help me learn a lesson? How can I make these characters seem like friends, mentors, antagonists who might need compassion?
And, most importantly:
What will be a cool story?
I’ve also realized that you can approach nearly everything with a child’s mindset and find answers. As a freelance writer, I use a child’s curiosity to write the articles and papers I’m lucky enough to be employed to write. And you know what? My clients love it.
You might be asking yourself, alright, why doesn’t she get to the point? Why is it important to remember what it’s like to be a kid? After all, I’m an adult. I’m doing fine.
Well, you’re in luck. My points, five of them, are down below.
1. You’ll Find Creativity in the Smallest Spaces
Have you ever been stuck on a problem and found that you got the answer when you weren’t looking for it? Or maybe when you decided to look at the problem from an angle not even related to the problem?
Kids do this every day. They’re not hindered by linear thinking because it hasn’t been taught to them yet. They use everything at their disposal — their imagination, their creativity, their resources — to find a solution. Because there is no restriction on how to resolve the problem, kids come up with the best answers…and some you never thought they’d come up with.
Remembering that childlike tenacity to solve a problem even when the answer isn’t staring you in the face will help you as an adult. Thinking outside of the box leads to new innovations and a different way of looking at not only yourself, but the world.
You can ask Elon Musk about this. I’m sure he’s never lost the magic of childhood.
2. You’ll Raise Kids Who Dream
One of my problems with my parents is that they never accepted dreaming, not even for fun. They didn’t want me to be a writer or photographer, they wanted me to be a lawyer. And not even a humanitarian lawyer, which was my dream for several years — a business lawyer.
That’s great for people who love business and love arguing business law. People do dream of that.
But it wasn’t for me. And I think that if my parents had remembered what it was like to be a kid, with a world full of possibilities, maybe they would have been more encouraging, which would have been a help to me.
I don’t have kids, but if I did, I’d try to help them achieve their dreams. Don’t limit your kids to the reality you know — their world is far larger. Let them discover what they can offer the world before reigning them into a “safe” life.
Remember your own childhood dreams and let your kids have theirs.
3. You’ll See Opportunities Instead of Problems
Kids can throw tantrums, I’ll grant you that. I have godchildren who can throw tantrums longer than a Senate filibuster.
But they’re also far more positive than adults. Maybe that’s because we have more life experience or because we know life has disappointments…or maybe we’ve forgotten how to see the world as an opportunity rather than a problem.
When you think of children, they seem to find a way through every dark moment, right? If they’re scared, they’ll make up a story about them becoming heroes. If they didn’t draw something like they wanted, they start again. Rarely do they complain about how hard something is or just give up because it’s too heard.
Adults, a large portion of us anyway, don’t do that. We grumble about the problems, not realizing an opportunity for us to learn is right around the corner. We refuse to look deeper into issues that we don’t agree with, because we’re afraid of finding an answer that doesn’t fit our pessimistic view. In a phrase, we can shut down instead of opening up.
Remember that if kids can see opportunities everywhere, so can we.
4. You’ll Be More Open-Minded
Kids don’t understand prejudice as an inherent way of thinking. It’s taught to them. Kids, when left to their own devices, usually don’t discriminate against any other kid. Only when they get older and they hear (from parents, their religion, etc) that they’re “better than other children” does prejudice sink in.
Adults, on the other hand, discriminate all the time. We’re taught to discriminate as children and it’s reinforced through the institutions and society we live in. It’s called racism, sexism, homophobia, divisive rhetoric, and shaming. We continuously criticize and put down others different from us because we’re taught that’s how the world is.
But imagine for a second that no child is ever taught to discriminate. How different would our world be? Would we be more understanding with thoughtful dialogue? Would be we be the same?
I don’t think we’d be the same. That’s why having an open mind like a child is useful. We can eliminate prejudices and learn new things, something that isn’t possible if your world is closed to other points of view.
5. You’ll Discover the Magic of Doing New Things
Kids never stop to wonder if doing something new is hard — they just do it. They do it and don’t worry about getting it right the first time. For them, the act of trying something new is all that matters.
Adults aren’t like that. We like to pretend we don’t care about the things that we’re not good at and that the things we’re good at are the most important in our lives. Adults hate to fail. On a related note, we also hate looking silly or being laughed at.
Failing isn’t the point of trying something new, though. We forget that. The point of trying something new is…drum roll…to try something new. That’s it. That’s all.
I used to hate trying new things until I remembered how much I loved it as a kid. I loved not getting things right the first time because it meant there was room for improvement and discovery. And thankfully, after a few years away from that mindset, I’m back.
Kids have an uncanny way to see the world as fresh and bright. And yes, this has to do with the fact that the world is new to them. But it doesn’t diminish how courageous, curious, and creative they are.
So why can’t adults still think like children? What would be the harm, when you factor in the life experience and education we have? Why not remember?
I think we can and should remember what it’s like to be a kid. I think it’s important to be open-minded, use our imagination, have no prejudices and discover new things. It makes us better adults.
Scratch that, it makes us better humans.
The next time a kid comes up to you and asks you to play or wants to tell you a story, do it. Be a child again. And remember that feeling when the world demands you become an adult again.
Never forget what it’s like to be a kid.
