Joys of Childhood

I spent my childhood outside playing in the woods, riding my bike with the neighbor kids, playing sports year round in the neighborhood and spending quality time with my family.  My childhood was fantastic and full of fond memories.  These memories are more meaningful now that I have children of my own.  I remember waking up early Christmas mornings with my brothers eagerly awaiting the opportunity to open our presents.  I loved Christmas as a kid, but as a parent Christmas is a million times better.

The beauty of being a parent is the innocence we love when transitioning from child to adult is rediscovered through our children. The excitement of Christmas morning is now heard in their scampering about the house waiting for us to wake up.  A sense of wonderment and discovery is shared when our child sees or experiences something for the first time.  I’ll never forget their first trip to the zoo when they first saw a lion, tiger, giraffe and gorillas for the first time.  The sense of wonderment and excitement as they moved from animal to animal was palpable.

Somewhere along our journey, we lose the wonderment and joy of childhood as we get lost in the minutia of everyday life.  We stop rolling down the hills and being silly instead opting to take ourselves too seriously.  We stop being curious.  There is a lot we can learn from our children as we guide them through life. We can learn to enjoy the small things in life, to not take ourselves too seriously and to approach life with a sense of wonderment and curiosity.

My boys love exploring the outdoor and enjoy a healthy sense of adventure.  They’re minds are going a million times a minute.  When they see something they love, you can guarantee that they’ve already started scheming about how they’re going to get a boat, a chicken, a goat, a plane, etc.  Their mind and their dreams have no bounds.  Their joie de vivre is contagious and drives me a better mom, a better wife and a better person.  Inspiration doesn’t always come from big things or famous people sometimes it comes from our minis.