The Kids' Why

As hard as I try, it’s hard to remember what it was like to be a kid. I remember things such as he trouble I got into, the things that scared me, and the things that were just fun and many times foolish. I have noticed that many stories begin with, “I don’t remember why, but I was…” The “how” and “what” are there, but the “why” seems to escape memory. The reason is the “why” is the kid part.

The bigger reason is because there usually wasn’t a “why”. Kids just do things. Let me give you an example I recently witnessed. I was at a student awards assembly. The kids were sitting through the many awards that were being given out. After some time the group was becoming restless and needed a break. To the credit of the supervising teacher, an announcement was made that all students could stand up and stretch for a minute. All kids jumped up at the chance.

After a minute or so, the order to go ahead and sit down was given and here was the manifestation of the difference between kid and adult. All adults when asked to sit; sit. We just aim our butts in the right direction, bend our legs and drop to our seat. Some of us with less control and grace than others but the motion is all the same and done without fanfare. This is not the case with the kids.

Once the order was given to sit down, every variation of sitting down was being exercised throughout the group. There were some that dropped straight down, some twisted like a cyclone, some bounce down and back up with a diminishing bounce back up with each bounce. There were some that crossed their legs as they dropped like a scissor lift. There were others that stuck their arms out and flapped like a bird landing on a wire. One kid even made the motion as if he was diving into a pool of water. Some ignored the order until it was given again; some waited until the third time and others again waited until they were personally asked.

In short, the kids enjoyed the moment and whatever came to their mind is how they proceeded. There was no correct way, no incorrect one either. Ultimately they all ended up sitting again and the assembly continued.

How many things do we do, not because there is not another way to do it, it’s just that we have accepted one way and we stick to it. It is because it’s better or just safer?

Next time someone asks for you to take a sit, stretch out your arms and come in like a plane landing. Or whatever else comes to your mind! If you find that exhilarating, what else can you do beyond what is expected or accepted? See what happens when you let the kid in you take over the “why”.