7 Important Life Lessons Children Teach Us (The Adults)

I am neither a child psychologist nor a teacher, and I do not have children of my own either, yet I’m really blessed in this lifetime to have spent a significant amount of time with children of all ages. 

At every stage of my life and every place that I lived in, there was always a child or two that would come to my place, and then we would scream, dance, play, tell each other stories, watch cartoon TV shows and movies, and do all of the craziest things in the world together. The children have always given me a lot of affection, and I have always loved spending time with them.

So, I got to learn some beautiful, inspiring things about life from those children. And I think we, the adults, need to learn a lot from the children that can help us make our lives better. 

But you may think, “Hey Satish, we’re adults, and we cannot and are not supposed to behave like children!” I perfectly understand you are a grownup, and you’re supposed to act your age. But I tell you what, there are some beautiful children traits that I’ve observed and ruminated upon over the years, which have made me firmly believe that if any adult like you and I uses or cultivates these traits, his/her life will truly become a beautiful blessing each day.

So, the following are some of the beautiful, inspiring traits of children I’ve observed over the years, and I call them “The Lessons Of Life By The Children”, which I believe every adult like you and I should learn and adapt. And hey, in case you’ve forgotten, you were once a child too:

1. Never Giving Up. 

Have you ever seen a child falling one moment and then picking himself/herself up the very next moment? 

I’m sure you have at one time or another. When a child falls, that child cries for a little while because the fall hurts him/her, which is obvious. But then, in a matter of few moments, after you comfort that child by hugging and caressing him/her, or sometimes even if there is no one to comfort him/her, the child gets back up and goes back to what he/she was doing before the fall and carries on with it with a smile.

Many children are lying in hospital beds because they are sick or not well for some reason or other, and if you go and visit any child in the hospital, you read him/her some story or say something funny, you’ll see that child smiling despite the pain. 

You and I, the so-called adults, give up so easily in life if we are met with even the smallest of small obstacles or temporary disappointments. A child never quits until you tell him/her to quit, or sometimes even if you tell a child to quit doing something that may hurt him/her, the child disregards it and goes ahead and continues to do it because the child wants it so badly.

If you bring this ‘Never-Giving-Up’ child trait into you too, which you and I both had once when we were children, you’ll never give up on anything in life, and it will make your life so much more worth living.

2. Forgetting And Forgiving. 

When the children have fights or arguments among themselves or with their parents about whatever the petty issues (the issues may seem petty to us as adults, but they are always worth fighting for from a child’s perspective) are, such as not getting his/her turn while playing games, or not getting to eat their favorite candies or ice creams because of the parent denying it, or fights between siblings over who wants their favorite T-shirt, etc., you will see that they fight with each other, they may push each other or hurt each other, but the next moment, you will see the same children reconciling with each other.

You will see them holding hands and playing with each other with smiles on their faces as if nothing ever happened before. They express their anger over some disappointments to their mother or father one moment, and the next moment, they are sitting by their mother’s side with their mother’s arm wrapped around them or having fun with their father.

If you, as an adult, learn to forget and forgive if anyone ever hurts you, no matter how badly, or you ask for forgiveness if you’ve hurt someone, like the children say sorry to each other and their parents without holding a grudge when they behave badly, your life will become so enriched with peace. And as you may know already, peace is the ultimate purpose of every human life.

3. Imaginative Thinking. 

A child has an imagination that can transcend all the barriers and understandings of the real world. 

When I was a child, I remember I had all of the craziest imaginations and fantasies in the world. I always dreamed of having a TV in my pocket, so I could watch my favorite cartoon TV shows wherever I traveled. Years later, that imagination of mine as a child came to life in the form of smartphones. Now, I can watch anything on my phone anytime I want anywhere I go. 

And I think that same imaginative mindset now helps me write articles and stories such as this. I don’t know how wonderful or amazing my writing is, it’s for you to decide as my reader, but I love to write like any child would love to paint or dance, no matter what colors that child uses to paint or what dance moves that child showcases. 

A child only knows how to have fun with whatever she/he does. So, that creativity of my childish mind has stayed with me to this day, and I’m so blessed to have retained it even in my adulthood.  

If every adult brings back that childhood imaginative mindset of his/her, there will be so many more amazing discoveries and artworks in this world that can help make our world an even better place than it already is.

4. Following The Teachings. 

A child follows and becomes what is shown or told to him/her by the parent or teacher or any adult that the child is surrounded with. I believe we, the adults, are the sculptors and the children are like just raw pieces of clay, so they will take the shapes of how we mold them. 

Therefore, always be careful of how you behave in front of a child or what you show to a child through your words and actions. 

As the child follows the instructions of the adults, we, the adults can follow the teachings of our scriptures and spiritual masters, and we will become better and kinder individuals. 

No matter what kind of faith you have, no matter what religion or scripture you follow, every religion or religious scripture teaches us the ways and principles of righteous, kind, and peaceful living. And if every adult follows those teachings, there will be so much harmony in this world. There will be no wars, no hatred, only peace and love for each other in every human heart.

5. Fearlessness. 

A child is never afraid to say or express what she/he feels, no matter the place or the people around her/him. You may think that a child’s mind is not developed or mellow enough to mind his/her surroundings, but I believe “Ignorance is bliss” even to adults. 

If you as an adult cultivate this fearless attitude of not worrying about what people are thinking or what the people will say if you do this or that, you’ll be able to express yourself freely and without any apprehensions. You will be able to achieve and accomplish anything in life without giving a damn about what others are thinking about you like the child doesn’t worry about what others are thinking. The child just does what she/he wants or feels like doing, of course, under the supervision and direction of the adults like parents and teachers.

We, the adults, are being watched over by the Creator. We are under that Highest Being’s supervision. We are God’s children. So, if you decide to get or achieve something in your life, which will make your life better for yourself and all those that surround you, and if it’s something that’s not going to hurt anyone in any way, then you should simply go ahead and get it done without thinking about what others are going to say when they see you trying to accomplish something incredibly novel or pioneering. 

So never be afraid of failure when you go after your dreams and goals in life. Just do it fearlessly, as any child would do.

6. Being A Good Sport. 

When the children compete with each other, be it any sport or some kind of competition, some child wins and another loses. But many times, you will see the winning child sharing his/her victory medal or award or trophy or certificate with the losing child, and that’s called being a good sport. 

The child who has lost cries a little, but then goes to be with the winning child and plays with him/her and celebrates his/her victory. 

If we, as adults, also learn to appreciate each other’s efforts and successes without cultivating any jealousy, there will only be friendships and camaraderie in this world. There will be no animosities or fights or wars in the world. And in that way, every adult will try to be the best version of himself/herself, without comparing himself/herself to a fellow adult. 

Honestly, I believe this is the ultimate goal of every human soul, to be a better version of himself/herself and find peace in life. And when this happens, success and progress will follow automatically.

7. Keeping Active. 

Have you ever seen a child acting dormant or in the same position for a long time? I mean, a child is never dormant. The child always keeps herself/himself busy with dancing, playing, capering, and whatnot. 

You see a child doing something one moment at some place, and the next moment, you’ll see him/her doing something else at some other place. A child always finds a way to keep himself/herself busy, no matter what. A child always remains active. 

Even when a child is sick or hurt, the child will play or do something to keep herself/himself naturally busy and active. If we, the adults, also find ways to keep ourselves busy with something worthwhile, rather than always worrying and being anxious over things that do not even exist or are never going to happen, we will always be healthy and ailment-free.

I firmly believe that every adult still has that child version of himself/herself dwelling inside. We just need to nourish and nurture it throughout life. No matter how big or rich a businessman or businesswoman, celebrity or famous artist you are, that child version of yourself will always help you become a more wonderful and better human in life.

I always believe that children are the saviors of this world, and this world will be a hopeless place without them.

Be happy and always smile like a child because no matter how old you grow, you’ll always be a child in your heart. 

Disclaimer: The pictures used in this article belong to their copyrighted owners.