Can't Live Without the Little Buggers

I was at a 4th of July party the other week that was overrun by a herd of toddler-somethings. It was an absolute jungle, the little critters running and playing and masticating all over their oreos and cheerios and getting naked and hanging on their Daddy's legs and all that other messy stuff. Yes, it was very messy. And loud. And chaotic. And absolutely beautiful.

Because these little guys haven't learned all the rules yet. I think that's why we keep them around; they remind us of what it was like to wander through the world with a wide eyed sense of exploration and wonder.

When a child's in the room, all eyes are on them. We look into their face and we go back in time, we see something of our former selves. They remind us what play is. That it's not connected to results or progress or deadlines.

On the one hand we're teaching them, but we can learn---or maybe unlearn---just as much.