Child like thinking.

 

Kids, What do they know?

We always think this. But through observation and their own way of how their minds work to make sense of the world we all live in; we could learn one heck of a lot from them.

The rascals make a huge noise, drive parents crazy, never know when to quit.... the list goes on.

They sure make the world more colourful.

What I wouldn’t do to go run and play on the jungle gyms and slides and merry-go-rounds at the park. Maybe I should just go do it one day. I might get a few funny looks, but I would probably enjoy it. I don’t actually know what the hell is stopping me.

Who said we cannot act like kids

A few weeks ago, my grandson, who is now 9 years of age, came to me and asked me a profound question. "Nana, why are there so many people starving in the world but the people in jail get food three times a day?" Huh? What makes you think of this?

Goodness, what do you answer to that question? I had absolutely no answer for that. Totally broke my brain.

Wouldn't it be better to go through life without having to think of elections and making money and stressing about where the food on the table will come from? Even in this little man's mind, he thinks about who deserves the food more.

He has a point. wouldn't the prisons be a lot less crowded if the food that they get there is distributed to the poor or homeless then they will not be incarcerated for petty crimes and have to live in jail.

Yes, yes, yes, this idea is flawed, but think about it.

When the annual show came around with the amusement park and everything, we make sure that we never miss it, especially so that Nana and her favourite grandson can go on all the rides. Sometimes together other times I don't want to go on all the rides that he wants to go on and also, he likes to go on some of the most gut-wrenching rides alone. He always seems to pick the scariest ones.

Now at the age of 47, I still love all the rides that are there but there are one or two that I draw the line at.  He has absolutely no fear at all, he just hops on.

After all the rides and excitement, we decided to go watch a show where a friend of ours was singing. He went crazy dancing to music and asking for songs and probably enjoyed himself more than the rides.

Obviously, He had enjoyed himself so much that he ran back to my daughter and asked her for his wallet. He pulled out a R100 note and wanted to tip the entertainer for singing for him. About a year ago he did the same in Cape Town. Now he only had R1000 spending money but he wanted to tip them R100 too. (I think it was a shelter of some sort, I can't quite remember.)

Adults are a little stingier with their money. We might give like a R20 or maybe if we are feeling really generous, a R50

There is no stopping this little dude.

My husband is a Superman enthusiast and has plenty of memorabilia and posters, and whatever else he can find, displayed everywhere in our entertainment room. He has a door with Superman on both sides which leads to his office. Even the cat is called Kal-El. Now you must know.

Three years ago. I asked the little man who his favourite superhero was, I was waiting for an answer like Spiderman or Ironman or Batman… Instead, he said “Jesus”

His reasoning behind his answer is that God had created everything and that must include the superheroes so he will pick the biggest one.

What a clever answer.

Last year I read a book by David Weinberger, My $100 Million Secret. In this book, a youngster wins the lottery, and he enlists the help of the old lady who had given him the ticket in payment for a good deed that he had done for her. But in this book, the author shows what goes on in the mind of a child of about 13 years old. Along with his 2 friends, they basically tried to help the people who needed it the most.

I loved this book.

Wouldn’t it be great if each child is born with a manual on how to be raised? If anyone has a manual that came with their child, please could you send us all a copy?

We are all just winging it.

Years ago, I was teaching Sunday School and there was a certain young boy in my class that used to save his sweet, which I handed out at the end of every lesson. He would always come and ask me for another one. He would turn on his heel and run to his baby sister’s class and give the extra sweet that he had and they would open the sweets up together and eat them………

Makes you think, hey?

I always made sure I had extra for this reason.

Are children more intelligent than adults? Has the world corrupted our brains so much?

I always say, just ask, the worst answer you will get is NO! to which I get the answer back, “But the second worst is Maybe! (Where does my GS come up with all these funny quips.

He reckons that the nicest thing about winter is that there are no flies or mosquitoes. If you ask him if he is happy, “Yes I am, everyone should be happy!”

Yesterday he could not open a bottle of water that we had ordered at a local coffee shop, and he turned to me and told me that he thought that Hulk 2.0 had put the lid on this bottle as nobody was able to open it.

I could go on for days with all the clever little things that he says. But I think that we should not just always tell the children to listen to us. (because we think we know much more than them.) We should also start listening to their pure minds and ask them plenty of questions about how they see the world. I think that at the end of the day, we would possibly end up in stitches on the floor. However, it would also make us think about the world differently and what needs to be done.

I think my Brother and his wife have brought up their kids the right way as they let them figure it out and then help them with whatever they need to still fix or give them advice and make them see the bigger picture about why it is not going to work. I think that this sparks real intelligence in the children. They are really brilliant achievers. They can do whatever they set their minds to.

It might not work for all children but it sure works for them and I am a really proud Aunty.

 

Like I said before, if anyone has the manual that a child was born with, please share it with all of us.

Enjoy your kids they are actually fantastic.