5 Valuable Life Lessons Adults Can Learn from Children
Children are brilliant.
They are the most vulnerable members of our species, and yet their resilience and determination lead them to persevere. Without us, they would not survive. But without them, we would not survive either. Much like how children must learn about our world from adults, we have a lot to learn from them too.
Perhaps what makes children flourish in this chaotic world is what we adults need to survive it too.
1: Be curious
Children approach the world around them as explorers.
They observe their surroundings eagerly, flaunt their discoveries, ask important questions, and remain curious about themselves and others. Most people lose this quality as they grow up. They assume that knowledge is finite and remaining still in one’s findings is the ideal way of life.
But only with curiosity and adventure, can we move forward.
2: Learn by failing
Although children are novices, they master the learning process better than most adults do.
Whereas adults anticipate success and give up, children anticipate challenge and persevere. Whereas adults crumble upon negative feedback, children use their mistakes as building blocks. They know that learning requires action — and inevitably, failure.
It is children’s ability to learn because of failure that allows them to grow up at all.
3: Play
Nothing is at once as childlike and ageless as play.
To play is to be creative. It means taking what we have and making something new out of it. Play is the only way to connect with the world and master the unknown and untouched.
As Austin Kleon writes in Keep Going: “Play is the work of the child and it is also the work of the artist.”
4: Make close connections
Much like children, adults need security in their relationships with others.
The bonds that children share with their caretakers, friends, and toys are intimate and safe. They need these connections for care and support as much as they need them for human connection. We must never forget this inherent need for quality relationships over quantity.
It is always better to have a few close bonds than many distant ones.
5: Be honest about your thoughts and feelings
Many children are very transparent about their thoughts and feelings.
For some reason, this is seen as a bad thing. Yes, it is important to express your feelings in a constructive way, but it is equally important not to bottle them up inside, never to be revealed to the world. Communicating our own needs and desires is something children do daily and something most adults only wish to be able to do.
It is important to be honest, lest no one — not even us — will ever know what we truly want or need.
And honestly, what we as adults need most is to learn a thing or two from the children around us.
