Through the Eyes of a Child

A few weeks ago, one class was asked to draw a FARM with animals in it. I personally picked a student’s artwork and asked teachers/staff what they saw without revealing what the picture was all about. Please keep in mind that our artist is a preschooler. Here are the answers:

Adult #1: A crashing boat; animals

Adult #2: (thought hard and answered) an object . . .a beautiful object

Adult #3: Shark; dangerous animal with big mouth

It so happen that I saw the child drawing and coloring so I ask him what he drew. I got an honest and confident answer “IT’S A FARM! Miss Chloe IT’S A FARM!” Then he started pointing at every animal in his farm. (Even now, the child’s voice keeps ringing in my ears)

We were once like this child: honest, confident and without hesitations but we grow, mature and experience how the world works and we lose confidence and begin to hesitate more.

Most of the time when facing many situations, even simple things, we adults over think or see the negative things FIRST which leads to stress or frustration. It is natural for us to think that way, but from the point of view of a young professional who has made lots of adjustments in life, it is helpful to SOMETIMES remind ourselves to try to see things through the eyes of a child: simple, positive and no drama.

I may not be in the right place to say this but I’d like to share what I learned in my first 2 years of teaching: In each stage of life, there are different whys and hows of an individual, but it is beneficial for our mental and emotional health to take it easy when you can. Life has so much to offer. We cannot miss it just because we are stressed or frustrated.

I really like being with the small children when I am down, they keep reminding me to always have eyes that see the beauty in every situation.