This was originally posted on the Romancing the Genres blog. See their site at https://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com.
I recently ended an after-school childcare job for the 2023-4 school year. Hanging out with children several hours a week gave me a new appreciation for certain things. In that way, being with kids is like starting anew.
Seeing things through a child’s eyes changes your perspective, sometimes literally. One day a kindergartener walked into the room with her head tilted to one side, just to see how things looked sideways. I tried it—pretty cool!
Another day, a kid taught me how to play soccer. (I didn’t ruin his moment by telling him I knew the game.) Listening to how he explained the rules gave me a different outlook on which parts of soccer were the most important.
When a child first learns how to do something, like playing chess or using a yo-yo or getting all the steps in cat’s cradle, it doesn’t matter that people have been doing it for decades or even centuries. It’s new all over again. It gave me joy to see those moments.
The next time you can spend time with children, sit down at their level and try to see things with their eyes. You’ll be starting anew.
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