Down at their level

I think that for many children, I may be bit scary looking and when meeting new children, parents are a little concerned as to exactly how it is going to go. I think that in their heads, they imagine that their children are going to have a hard time accepting the scary guy. In my experience however, it is actually the prejudice of the parents leaking through, kids are accepting of different as long as some conditions are met.

What many adults seem to forget that they are giants in comparison to a toddler and tower over them. It is hard to trust a giant that you think can squash you under their foot. So, one needs to cut themselves down to size, something surprisingly few adults are willing to do in social situations.

At a social event, people are like peacocks preening, displaying and signalling and when there are young children present, they are less than willing to lower themselves down onto the floor to get to know the kids. Instead, they stand above in their best attire and talk about all the important things adults talk about. You will find me making car noises and sipping pretend tea out of tiny plastic cups. Children are so much more interesting and energizing than their adult counter parts for the most part.

But, there is something else I have noticed through all of these various occasions. Those unwilling to lower themselves to play with children are often the ones who are playing at problem solving too. It is so often the case that hot air is blown as they look at the problems of the world but when it comes to actually supporting their broadcast positions, they are silent in both word and action.

From my limited experience, it is the ones willing to get their hands, knees and shovels dirty as they dig through the muck to uncover and then find better ways to do things that get things done. Children don't mind getting their hands dirty, they enjoy making mudcakes and using their imagination to turn it into something better.

Nurture that and one day they won't be using their imagination, they will be using refined skillset developed through experience, practice and sensitivity to take the mud and sculpt it into something valuable, something beautiful. But what happens if all they see is adults who virtue signal in their nice clothes and pretty words to those they are trying to impress with their intelligence and what they know? What kind of model does the child learn?

There is a lot of beauty in this world already and a lot more potential to come but, I am still a child that likes to make mudcakes, get dirty and use my imagination for what could be. I am still willing to get down into the grime and digging through the trash to see what others have missed that might be valuable. I enjoy it a lot. Does it mean I don't have skills to sculpt it into something beautiful? Let's see, I still have a lot to learn to hone my skills.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]