I Don't Want to Grow Up!

"The secret of a genius is to carry the spirit of a child into old age."
- Aldous Huxley

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Just the other day, my son officially made the leap from childhood into adolescence. March 22nd was his 13th birthday. On the night before his transformation from one stage of life to the next, as customary, I kissed him good night. I told him tomorrow was his big day. With a bit of trepidation, he responded, “Dad I don’t want to grow up.” Somewhat surprised, I asked, “Why don’t you want to grow up?” He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I love being a kid and when you grow up you have so much responsibility.”

I acknowledged that he was correct and told him, “Yes, you do take on more responsibility. But, just as you take on more responsibility, you’ll find greater opportunities and more privileges.” I wasn’t convinced that he bought into my “opportunities and privileges” discourse. Rather, he wanted to be reassured that childhood doesn’t have to come to an end. I told him, “Cole, you don’t ever have to stop being a kid. You can always be a kid at heart.” I went on to inform him that there is a big problem with adults today, and that would be that most adults have forgot what it was like to be a kid.” I kissed him one last time, wished him happy birthday, and said, “I don’t care how old you get, never, and I mean never, stop being a kid at heart.”

”Never stop being a kid at heart,” I told him. Later that night, I thought to myself was I living my own advice, or was I too, like all the other adults who let both the magic and simplicity of childhood fade away as they got older.

How about you? Are you a kid at heart? Do you remember how you could create something out of nothing; like taking a take a trip without actually going anywhere; like having an imaginary friend appear out of nowhere; or like being a superstar of a game that was never really played? Our childhood creativity kept us occupied and allowed us to be satisfied. Our creativity fueled our dreams, and no dream seemed too big. As children we all had one thing in common; we were dreamers.

What happened to our dreams? Life happened to us, that’s what happened. Somewhere between childhood and becoming an adult our dreams began to fade away and slowly died. Life told us we needed to get busy and there is no room for dreamers. People told us we needed to be responsible. Besides, responsible people don’t dream their lives away. We were told that we needed to get serious, settle down and make something out of their lives. It was when we started listening to people who told us what we could do, or what we could not do, that our dreams became a thing of the past. Are you one of those adults who have stopped dreaming? .

And, what about childhood excitement? Do you remember sleepless night because of the excitement that tomorrow would bring; like Christmas presents, birthday parties, sleepovers, vacations and so many other things. Childhood excitement is magical and packed with loads of pure energy. Joseph Cornell said, “Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder.” Are you one of those adults who no longer gets excited about things? Do you believe that you are just too mature, or too old to get excited or express your excitement?

How about curiosity? Do you remember wanting to learn new things and searching for answers to your questions? Do you remember asking lots of questions over and over until you got it right? And, even when you thought you got it right, you asked more questions. Do you remember being so curious about something that you wouldn’t stop until you got the answers you were looking for? It’s a child’s curiosity that fuels their desire to learn and grow. There are so many things that children are curious about. Socrates once said, “ Wisdom begins in wonder.”; Do you still possess the curiosity of a child?. Do you continue to look for things until you find what our looking for?

What about faith? Faith develops out of trust. Children are trusting by nature. From birth, a child develops trust that others will take care of their needs. When learning to walk, a young child must trust that the outstretched arms will catch them if they fall. The child learning to ride a bike for the first time, trust that their parents will not let them fall. Children don’t need proof to believe in others or believe in things. Children live by faith; faith borne out of trust. And, because faith is borne out of trust, it always trumps fear. Children are generally happy because they have faith that things will work out. Do you possess the faith of child, or have you become cynical and a person of doubt?

And, then there is play! Do you still take time to play? When a child is at play, a child is at play. They invest their whole self into the activity. Even with their imaginations running wild, they never appear to get sidetracked. Their main purpose is to have fun. They could care less about what they look like or, what others say or think about them. Children can play by themselves or with others; it doesn’t matter to them. What does matters is that they have fun. Do you still take time to play? And, when you do play, do you play like a child or has your life become so hectic that there is no time for real play?

On Cole's birthday, as he unwrapping the gifts we gave him, I could not help but think of the gift he had given to me the night before. The gift he gave me did not come wrapped. It came from the heart of child. It didn’t come in a box. It came from childhood wisdom. Cole’s gift to me was a reminder; a reminder that I should never stop being a kid at heart. Thanks Cole! Thanks for reminding me to never stop dreaming, to never lose excitement for life; to look at things through the eyes of child, with curiosity; to have faith in people and things; and to take time to play like a child.

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Its your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it
MJD

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