Childlike vs. Childish

Another boys weekend has come and gone.  It was a weekend filled with new experiences for the boys.  They got to make smores and camp out in Grandma's RV.  They were able to eat pancakes cooked over an open fire. Christian is learning how to swim with his life jacket.  Watching them do those various things made me realize the vast difference between being childlike and childish.  

Being childish is that obnoxious immaturity that comes from the egotistical nature of children.  It is me me me, now now now.  That developmental stage is just as important as learning to walk, talk or ride a bike.  Childishness just happens to be one of the more unbearable and longest lasting stages.  It also happens to be a stage many people just don't seem grow out of.  In fact, we all periodically relapse, even if it's only internally, into that feet stomping, door slamming child who can't ever get enough, fast enough.  

It manifests itself in all of us in different ways.  Personally, I'm a pouter.  I am generally a silent sufferer, but even without words I manage to get my point across crystal clear.  Thankfully, my self-awareness requires me to snap out of it relatively quickly, but the point still holds true.  Even the most mature of us revert back to our childish roots.

Being childlike, on the other hand, is something to strive for.  It is having the ability to view the world without cynicism or bias.  It's finding happiness in the simple things and feeling accomplishment in the smallest of tasks.  It's the ability to laugh to the point of tears over nothing, trusting in the world and all it has to offer, and feeling safe no matter what.  My favorite part of being childlike is the uncanny ability to brush off obstacles and challenges, bad moods and minor schedule changes.  Kids hold no long term grudges.  

That resiliency is something I, for one, might have had as a child, but definitely don't now.  I struggle daily to let go of my stresses and find joy in the little things.  It saddens me to think I go weeks without laughing so hard I cry.  I rarely feel accomplished after completing tasks because I'm too caught up in the necessity of doing them.  I tend to hyper-focus on the day-to-day struggles and lose sight of the bigger picture. The bigger picture being that life is too short not to be happy.

So, the point of all that babble is this:

A Personal Resolution 

• train myself to view the world in a less cynical manner
• spend my free moments finding happiness in the small things
• work on being more flexible about the things I cannot control
• overcome my moments of childishness
• and if i fail to overcome, at least bounce back quickly

I firmly believe that a day without personal growth, is a day wasted.  In the sage words of a Chinese Proverb:
 
"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."