Back to Basics

I have an eight-year-old nephew and a sevenyear-old niece that I get to hang out with quite often. And when I say hang out, I mean we play games and cards and watch videos. I try to milk these years for all they’re worth because I know that teenagers don’t generally make a habit of hanging out with their aunt.

Anyone who’s had a conversation with children for more than just the usual small talk will know that they are wonderfully and innately curious creatures. Whenever I talk to them, I feel on one hand the joy of being in the presence of such innocence and spontaneity and on the other the weight of the responsibility of teaching the right things and showing them a good example.

I’m used to being around teenagers where I presume they know the basics of skills. But with young children, sometimes I have to dig really deep to come up with some of life’s basic answers. In some conversations with my niece and nephew (and some other kids at work), I have to confront life’s big questions: “What is God like?”; “Why do people say mean things?”; “Why does nobody help the poor?”

And just when I think I’ve hit upon the right answer or feel like patting myself in the back for coming up with something brilliant, they’ll look at me intently for a moment and move on to the next topic… like the question wasn’t even important at all. But then, in a month or so, they’ll use one of my answers as a reason for something I ask them. They’d been listening and absorbing all along. It just needed some time to take root.

Being around children reminds us that our needs in life are simple; our relationships are worth infinitely more than our possessions; and faith is something we can question without losing.

Which is not to say of course that we do not ever call their attention or discipline them when the need arises. But one thing I also noticed about children is that they’re incredibly forgiving. They can fight and make up in a span of minutes without thinking twice. They do not hold grudges and they do not shun people for long. Unless they learn it from adults or for selfpreservation.

If we take the time to listen and to make the effort to really get to know the children in our families and communities, we can learn so much about ourselves and about life.