The Mind of a Child

These have been some difficult times, so I feel this post is fitting now.

I love children. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a mom. I thought being a mom was the coolest thing in the world to be. I just feel like raising a human is an incredible life-changing experience.

I have three little ones in my life that I always call mine when I talk about them. They’re my cousin’s kids, but I came to the hospital the day each of them was born. Something about my connection with them from the beginning made them mine. They were mine to love and cherish without any reason. As my cousin had each kid, my heart got fuller and fuller. I enjoy getting to know them as they grow and learn.  

(Philosophical thoughts)

There is something so incredible about the mind of a child. John Locke believed that humans come into this world as a “clean slate.” Eventually, you will gain knowledge based on experiences. Another philosophy about humans is innatism and the notion that the mind is already born with ideas, knowledge, and beliefs. Plato and Descartes both emphasized that experiences were the key to unlocking the knowledge within us, but not the source.

I have inwardly battled between those two theories:

On one hand, I believe that experiences make us who we are. Circumstances make us who we are. What has happened to me is the reason I act and behave the way I do. My traits are learned. The world around me creates the person I am.

On the other hand, I experience life internally. Somehow between the tragic events of my life, I was figuring out how to do things. My life was made up of small basic things that I never talked to anyone about. There are experiences that come solely from me.

It’s easy to blame external forces for my actions, but Descartes and Plato’s theory makes me think harder. What if the answers are already inside of me? What if experiences are learning opportunities?

(Back to kids)

I figured out why I love children. I figured out why it brings me so much happiness when a child likes me. Children teach me. They helped me answer my above philosophical dilemma.

Children live in the moment. They don’t dwell in the past, but also not living for the future. They want what they want now and feel what they feel when they feel it. Children are brilliant. They ask questions. They learn new things. They get so excited. They feel pain by screaming and crying, but kisses make booboos better. Children only want to be loved and cared for. They try to be independent and stand on their own two feet. They’re happy when they walk, cry when they fall, but never give up trying. 

Frozen II feels super real to me right now. I know it’s a kid’s movie. Bear with me if you’ve never seen it. The second song in the movie “Some Things Never Change” has a lot of lessons. The song seems like a contradiction to the entire plot of the movie. Life is constantly changing. I thought I was in a good place on the road to self-discovery/self-love… Then this virus turns the world upside. I didn’t expect that change. I know the virus and my life are not correlated. It’s not like the universe checked in with me to see if this was a good time to have a virus apocalypse. That’s just life though. Life changes in the blink of an eye. It can be overwhelming.     

The fourth song in the movie is “When I Am Older.” The writer of this song is brilliant. When I was a kid, I thought getting older meant I could do anything and everything. As an adult, I would have all the knowledge and power in the world. The older I got the more I thought things would make sense, but in actuality, there is just more information that I don’t understand. I can’t do everything.   

I’m trying to channel my inner child. I’m trying to stop myself from thinking too far into the future, and I’m not worrying about what happened yesterday. I’m taking each day as it comes. I’ve cried when I’ve felt overwhelmed. I’ve taken walks when I get antsy. I’m trying to make lists to give myself some structure for the day. I’m giving myself all the credit for taking care of myself. My journey of self-discovery/self-love hasn’t stopped because of this virus. I control this moment. 

During this time of social distancing and chaos, I encourage you to be like a child. Do what Olaf said and, “make the best out of what you can control.”

I’m a giver so please reach out if you are needing love and encouragement. We should stay physically distant, but you don’t have to do this alone. Please reach out!