May
16
2014
It’s Not Easy Being Little
Posted in Family Life 2 Comments
A friend of mind posted something on her Facebook page.
It was a simple illustration that you would see in a children’s book.
All grown-ups were once children…but few of them remember it.
It is a quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, taken from The Little Prince.
I had been thinking about similar thoughts, so I was delighted when I saw her post.
I commented.
If I don’t remember…or you don’t remember…we can remind each other since there are many shared memories!
How very true that is!
We were girlhood friends that have recently reconnected.
I looked at some of the other comments.
There I saw more girlhood friends who are remembering as well.
It’s not easy being little.
Your fingers don’t work right.
You tend to trip and stumble when you walk.
You spill things and break things and get tired when you have to walk at adult speed.
You aren’t listened to, as you should be.
You speak but no one thinks you can possibly have anything important to say.
You play to figure out your world.
You get scared of thunderstorms and don’t believe for a minute that God is bowling.
You have more questions than answers.
You sing at inappropriate times.
A stick or a toad is begging for your attention.
You can wear rain boots on sunny days and mismatched clothes every day.
You walk around with your shoes on the wrong feet.
You clomp around in Daddy’s work boots or Mommy’s high heels.
You sometimes forget that there is a back and a front to your shirt and never get it right.
You find it hard to sit still.
You have no concept of time.
Yesterday can be five days ago.
You can’t decide whether to be a doctor, a ballerina, an astronaut, or a vet.
You can change your mind every minute just because you can.
You like to drink from Sippy cups and carry them around with you.
You like to make bubbles with a straw until the milk overflows onto the table.
You like certain foods and dislike others, but try to finish because you love dessert.
You draw people that look like Mr. Potato Head and color everyone’s hair purple.
You are told when to go to bed, when to brush your teeth, and when to come inside.
You are told to behave, to use inside voices, and to keep your hands to yourself.
You imagine out loud and have elaborate tea parties with guests that only you can see.
You make your bed a bit lopsided because it is hard to reach the other side.
You have a treasure box with little things that you get out every now and then to inspect.
You hide secret things under your bed that your mother always finds.
You lock a journal each night after writing all your secrets that you cannot tell anyone.
You sleep with your favorite stuffed animal, but admit that to no one.
You have to wait to take a turn.
You need to be pushed on a swing.
You are afraid of deep water, until you finally learn to swim.
You promise to feed and walk the dog but you always forget.
You have friends to play with and dream with and share secrets with, until you don’t.
You get your feelings hurt and your feelings mended many times in a day.
You say you will never talk to that person ever again and then ride bikes with them later.
You grow up, you move on, but you never forget.
It is good for an adult to remember what it was like to be a child.
It is good to remember your own childhood, so that you understand your children better.
It is good to be connected to the past as long as you don’t live there.
It is good to keep that childlike wonder tucked away in your adult body.
We were all children once.
That should help us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
That should give us empathy towards those little ones in our care.
That should give us understanding towards those who are still learning.
There is a child in all of us.
That child became who we are today, rough edges and all.
That childhood molded us and shaped us but it should never paralyze us.
It should never be an excuse for bad adult behavior.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:11,12)
All grown-ups were once children…but few of them remember it.
Remember!
Reconnect with childhood friends.
Reminisce.
God allowed you to have all those experiences to become the person you are today.
If it needs to be redeemed, God can redeem it.
If it needs to be celebrated, thank God for that special time.
If it needs to be something we learn from, take the lesson to heart and press on.
If you are blessed to have little children in your life, cherish them.
YOU are part of their childhood.
I have always loved a thought taken from Christy, by Catherine Marshall.
The best gift I can give you is a good childhood tucked under your belt.
A good childhood tucked under your belt is a gift.
Receive it.
Give it.
Remember.
Oh Regina, what an honor! But what truth. Your last comment about adults having once been children is quite the challenge! What greater Love than to be fully known and loved anyway! As always, thank you!
Cathy, I am delighted that you were blessed. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were intentional about remembering what it was like to be a child? What a better adult we would be!
Regina