I read an interesting statistic this week that I feel like stealing for thought.
On average, a child asks 250 questions every day, compared to 20 by adults.
On average, children laugh 150 times every day, compared to 6 by adults.
So the more obvious thought is, children are growing and developing, are naturally curious about the world around them, and seem to be filled with wonder.
They also take in enjoyment and find a lot of things humorous that adults might not think is so funny.
Digging deeper, there has to be a reason outside of “maturity” that we stop laughing so much. There has to be a reason for us slowly killing our own curiosity and wonder that isn't related to “adult responsibility”.
I thought about it like this—when a person just graduates college and then joins a workforce full of people with vast experience, they're often looked at as naïve.
They want to do things by-the-book and are usually excited to apply their newly found education to a specific field of work.
But maybe they haven't been jaded in the same way a 20-year vet would be. The approach to problems in the rookie's job will be completely different because they have a fresh perspective that hasn't been tainted by the daily rigmarole, and they have a hunger for experience.
Adults have a way of keeping a guard up. A skepticism. They've learned about the world in a way that a child could never understand. At least not yet.
On the contrary, children have a unique perspective that they bring to the table. They want to hear about it all.
They turn a bad outcome into a comedic experience. It's funny when you spill something. There's no consideration about the fact that you spilled coffee on yourself while driving to work. Who cares about the details?
Children can definitely inspire us to wonder. To laugh more. To be more conscious about having fun. About play.
But they can also reveal to us the way that the world seemingly pushes us into a corner and tries to keep us there. Sometimes it feels like our only response is to become hardened.
I can't just give into that. I can't just accept it as reality. I'm not just a serious adult, composed and stoic.
I can laugh. I can see the good in the situation. I can stay curious and be goofy. I can ask the “dumb” questions.
I think it's essential to hang onto that curiosity and laughter dearly. This ride shouldn't be drudgingly difficult all the time.
It should be enjoyable too.
This explains things…
Enjoyed reading!