Saturday, February 6, 2016

When I Grow Up, I Don't Want to be a "Grown Up"

Cross-posted from MapleSyrupEDU.

By all accounts, I’m officially a grown-up. I have a steady job, two kids, bills, the whole deal. I seem to do an awful lot of chores, but they don’t grate on my nerves the way I did when I was a kid. Days seem shorter, my list of goals is focused, and quite often I hear my father’s words coming out of my own mouth.


Despite all the signs, I don’t want to give up certain parts of being a child. I think that’s why I chose a career that involves working with kids: I’m quite comfortable living with some of the lessons I continue to learn from children. Acting childish has some negative connotations, but I think there’s a lot of value in some childish traits. So here’s a list of things that every adult should remember about being a kid:


Image: Wikipedia

Adventure is everywhere.


Calvin and Hobbes taught me that from an early age, and I still venturing off the beaten path. Quite literally, I will actually being walking through the woods at times, and decide to just take a left turn and see where it goes. You may not actually want to traipse through a bunch of scratchy thorn bushes, but remember that you don’t always have to take the shortest route to your destination. Sometimes the distractions are worth the time.

Image: Matt Newfield (Flickr)

Getting dirty can be fun.


This is one that I too often forget. Sometimes, it’s worth it to get your hands dirty, rip holes in the knees of your pants, or just splash in the big puddle. My own children remind me of this quite frequently. There’s always hot chocolate, fresh clothes, and a warm bath waiting for you if you need it.

Image: James Petersen



Creativity can be its own end.

Sometimes starting a project without a final destination in mind is actually more fun that working toward a goal. It can be refreshing, and even liberating, to begin a project without a plan. Adjust things as you go, and let your vision of the finished product evolve. It's a great way to learn.

Image: PDPics (Pixabay)

We’re all a “work in progress”


The only thing that’s worth striving for is to be a better version of yourself when you go to sleep, than you were when you woke up. Competition among peers isn’t a way to self-fulfillment (at least, it’s not for me). When you don't compete with others, you start to enjoy their successes as much as your own. Life is not a zero-sum game: We can all win.

Image: Wikimedia Commons


Learning is supposed to be fun.


Take the time to play around with things. Explore. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? You could be wrong? See #4 if that happens. But if you're right, or you discover something new, it can be so rewarding. Give yourself a sandbox, and allow yourself to play in it.
In all honesty, most kids have a lot of “adult” traits, even if it’s in a slightly less robust form.  Kids are responsible. Kids are honest. Kids are kind, caring, thoughtful. They can certainly lose these traits if we don’t nurture them, but I believe that every child aims to be a good and happy person.

We can do all of these things as adults, but we don’t need to do them exclusively. Adulting is hard sometimes - don’t be afraid to stop adulting and just enjoy life in the moment. Being a grown up means a lot of responsibility, but don’t forget that it also means that you have the freedom to retain the great things about being a kid.

19 comments :

  1. I love what you guys do too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the superb works guys… getting a visa for Turkey online Once you have filled out the application form and paid the visa cost Turkey, you will have to wait for the visa to be approved as the visa processing time is 24 hours

    ReplyDelete
  2. SMM Panel world's Cheapest Social Media Panel is an automated system that provides social media services. Your orders start automatically and complete very quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello everyone, If you are a citizen of Canada and you are planning a trip to Turkey. Turkish visa for Canadian citizens is available online. They can apply for a Turkey visa and enjoy a trip to Turkey.

    ReplyDelete
  4. लेकन आप के रूप में सरमाय को एक्जी के रूप में जाना जाता है कि आप अपने आप को कुछ ऐसा करने से रोक सकते हैं

    smm panel pakistan
    ͬ آپ وم بوم بوم ووم بووع کرنا چاوتو و دو وقسم کی ونانسننگ دستیاب ووتو و
    smm panel pakistan

    smm panel pakistan
    کله چې تاسو د کور بیس بیس پیل کول غواړئ نو دوه ډوله فنانسنګ شتون لري،
    smm panel pakistan
    یکویٹی اور قرض کی مالی اعانت. तुमच्या व्यवसायाचा कर्जातून ایکویٹی کا رشتہ महत्त्वाचा आहे.
    smm panel pakistan

    ReplyDelete

  5. ਗੀ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ ਵਾਲੇ ਸਾਧਨਕਾਰੋਬਾਰਾਂਕਾਰੋਬਾਰਾਂਨਾਲ ਗ ਗ ਇੱਕ ਇੱਕ ਇੱਕ ਤੰਗ ਹਨ ਹਨਹਨ ਤੇਹਨ ਤੇਹਨ ਤੇਹਨ ਤੇਹ
    smm panel pakistan

    Są cennym narzędziem dla tych, którzy próbują zro
    smm panel
    świetna opcja dla osób, które maj
    smm panel pakistan
    smm panel
    ਨੁਯਾਈਆਂਸ਼ੇਅਰਾਂ、ਤੁਹਾਡੇਬ੍ਰਾਂਡਦੀਦਿੱਖਹੋਵੇਗਾ。 ਇਹਤਰੁਝੇਵਿਆਂਨੂੰਨੂੰ:ਜਦੋਂਜਦੋਂਤੁਹਾਡੇਤੁਹਾਡੇਬਹੁਤ、ਟਿੱਪਣੀਆਂ、ਟਿੱਪਣੀਆਂ
    smm panel pakistan

    ReplyDelete