When I first found out I was pregnant, I anticipated that the motherhood journey would change me. What I didn’t expect was how many life lessons I would learn from my children.
I didn’t think that my children would radically impact who I am. Moreover, when I reflect on my journey so far, I’m astounded by how my children have taught me what being a “good” person means.
Here are five essential and important life lessons we can learn from the children in our lives.
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A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Several years ago, I took my oldest daughter on a homeschool field trip to a local botanical garden.
The group gathered around a pond and the instructor handed out little nets to each of the children while giving directions as to how to capture specimens with the net. She cautioned the children about the slippery mud at the edge of the pond before assigning us to different docks around the water’s edge. Within one minute of beginning the activity, my daughter lost her balance and fell into the pond.
Fortunately we had a spare pair of pants in the car.
Then, a little while later we met up with the group for a walking tour. My daughter excitedly grabbed her friend’s hand and they went running ahead along the path. Before I knew it, both girls tripped and were sprawled out on the sidewalk. Not only did my daughter scrape up her face, but she broke her glasses too.
That same night as I tucked my daughter into bed, I asked her what she thought of the field trip. Without hesitating, she shouted, “It was AWESOME!”
Take away point:
How often do we as adults, get caught up in what didn’t go well? How often do we let the negative overshadow the positive?
Children are often optimists at heart. We should embrace living like a child and focus on the positive. I’m sure we would be a lot happier if we maintained that kind of outlook!
STAY FULL OF WONDER
As the days grow shorter, the sun rises later in the morning. I’m often too busy putting in the first load of laundry, or washing the breakfast dishes to notice the sun coming up on the horizon.
However, when my children are awake, they often call me over to the window to marvel at the spectacular display of colours in the sky.
They do this with almost everything they encounter. From the smallest ladybug on a leaf, to the rock they found on a path; from the glistening dew on the tree branches, to the stars in the sky… they view everything with awe and wonder.
Take away point:
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that it takes the spectacular display of blazing fall colours, or the scenery of the mountains for me to marvel at this beautiful world around us. The thing is, children are awe-filled by even the littlest things.
We could learn from their delight in the wonders of the world. If we slow down long enough, maybe we too, would have the opportunity to be enchanted by a leaf or inspired by the moon hanging low in the sky.
BE FAITH-FILLED
I sat in the other room, listening to my youngest daughter talking to herself. Her chatter with her dolls at some point turned into a prayer. I heard her thanking God for things like her newest Pokemon card, but I also heard her praying for the health and safety of her friends and family. She enthusiastically asked God to make the next day the best one ever, and ended her prayer with a passionate AMEN.
Take away point:
Several years ago, I wrote an article about what it means to have childlike faith. One of the points in this article is that children are naturally faith-filled. They believe without hesitation.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of us could believe like a child? Imagine what this world would be like if we did everything to honor our heavenly Father!
BE APPROACHABLE
I started homeschooling my oldest daughter when she was in grade one.
I decided that we would make an effort to join other families at an organized homeschool gathering every second week. The first time we went to one of these events, I recall standing in a hallway waiting for the activities to start when a little girl approached my daughter.
The little girl said hi.
My daughter said hi.
Then something amazing happened. They took each other’s hands and started jumping up and down. It was a perfectly beautiful moment.
Later on, I asked my daughter if she’d ever met that little girl before.
The answer? No.
This was the first time they ever met.
Take away point:
How often do we get caught up with tasks, errands, and work, that we ignore the other people who live, work, play, and shop in the same places as us?
I’m not suggesting grabbing a stranger’s hands and jumping up and down with them, but a smile or an enthusiastic hello could brighten someone’s day.
BE GIVING
I can’t recall the first time one of my children gave me a gift. I’m not talking about the store-bought wrapped gift, but those special treasures of a dandelion, a smooth rock, or a colorful drawing.
In all my years of childcare, I’m certain that at least 95% of my days involved getting a “gift” from a child.
Children are naturally generous. These little tokens are all they can provide, but they are beautiful and heartfelt offerings.
Take away point:
What I’ve learned from a child’s generosity is that a gift isn’t necessarily the item itself, but rather the love, thought, and sentiment of it.
We don’t need to be wealthy in order to be generous. Simply baking a treat for a friend or buying a coffee for the stranger in line behind you, takes very little but means so much!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Lastly, as adults, we’re often tempted to “teach ” children, but we have much to learn from them as well. These little people have a beautiful and unique perception of the world. We could learn a lot from their positive, awestruck, faith-filled, approachable, and generous ways.
If we slow down and observe the children in our lives, I’m certain they have many more life lessons for us. Have you learned any life lessons from the children in your life?
SHARE WITH OTHERS
Love, love, love this!! This week alone I was taught by my older daughter how to genuinely be happy and thank someone for their generosity of putting $2 in a card to wish her a happy Halloween. Seriously my aunt sent my girls $2 each in a card for Halloween. My oldest was so thankful she wrote the most beautiful thank you note (she said from her heart). So, I couldn’t agree more that we can most definitely learn many lessons if we pay close enough attention to our kids. Thanks for the reminder here today of that. Happy Wednesday now and hope you are having a great week now xoxo ;)
Thank you Janine! I love these lessons we get from our children… they are precious indeed.
I love this article, Jennifer! Just recently my kids have been teaching me to be heaven-focused. They talk and think about heaven frequently! They’ve asked me questions (and realized how little I really know about it) and formulated their own ideas about what heaven will be like. Just yesterday they were pondering in the car if everyone got to be a kid in heaven because Jesus loves children. We agreed that between 7-10 would be the best ‘heaven-age’ and I was genuinely excited thinking how fun it would be to BE a kid WITH my kids! My attitude about my day changes for the better when I keep an eternal perspective.
I’m delighted you enjoyed this Amanda. What a beautiful lesson you’re learning from your children right now. We could all benefit from being more heaven-focused, hey?!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
I love this. Kids see the world so differently than adults do and I would prefer that they don’t get jaded, but eventually it happens. Hopefully, we can be more like kids and less grown up, and just not take life too seriously at times.
Yes! They see things soooo differently. We have much to learn from their perspectives. Like you said, I wish their viewpoints wouldn’t become jaded but unfortunately that’s what often happens as they grow up. Hopefully, we can remind them (and ourselves) that a child’s perspective is a beautiful one!
I love this post! You are totally right, often as adults we loss faith or we let the small things bring us down and my children constantly remind me that everything is going to be okay and that you have to be approachable and positive and it’s amazing how they teach you things when you least expect it.
I’m delighted you enjoyed this Lucy!
Yes, that child’s optimism is precious and to be cherished. They have much to teach us (and we have much to learn)!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
I so love this. I don’t have any children, but I did help raise my 7 siblings. And your article is right on point. I enjoyed reading this, and for your reminders to maintain our child-like heart, faith, and outlook on life.
Thank you Juanita, I’m so glad you enjoyed this. 7 siblings?! Wow!
That child-like heart is so important – the Bible even reminds us of it!
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on the lessons we can learn from children.
You are absolutely right. I still learn so much from my children.
Thank you Jennifer. I’m delighted this resonated with you.
Oh Jennifer, this is just SO good. Thank you for inspiring me to see and experience and embrace ALL these amazing gifts our children teach us. And btw- your kids are precious.
Totally sharing this. <3
Our children are full of lessons and gifts, aren’t they?! I’m delighted you enjoyed this and thanks for sharing!
These are important lessons that make us more Christlike if applied. The innocence and purity of children make them worthy models for us to pattern our behaviour after in many respects. Thanks for sharing and for visiting me earlier. God’s abundant grace with your family and ministry in Jesus’ name.
Jesus told us to be more like children – and it’s easy to see why. I’m so glad you enjoyed this post Edith. God bless you my friend.
Fun stories, awesome lessons, beautiful pictures. You are blessed to have the Holy Spirit in your life, to teach you these things, and your audience is blessed that you share.
I’m delighted you enjoyed this Tammy. I love capturing moments like these with my children. I feel blessed. God is so good.
Wow! These are the times I want to hold onto. The moments that defy words. Looking into the nursing babies eyes, watching the 3-year-old attempt to play soccer for the first time, wrestling on the bed, being present as my 12-year-old learns from his Dad how to tie a tie. Peripheral moments sometimes just watching from the corner of your eye but being there fully.
It’s beautiful when we can slow down and appreciate those moments, isn’t it? Thanks for sharing Tanya.
What a great article! I especially loved the part about being approachable. So many times, we’re in our own heads. If we would just look out at others for a moment, we might really make a difference for someone. Just noticing someone needs a smile or a word of encouragement could make a big difference for us and our day too!
Thank you Angela — glad you enjoyed this!