Christian Living

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Little Children
©
by

Stephen A. Peterson


I find very young children absolutely fascinating! It is not just because they are so small, cute and need our help but unlike teens and adults their imperfections are interesting and generally are not taken seriously. For example, those little slips of their tongues, mispronunciations of words or errors in transmitting what they heard is funny and special to them and to us as well!

Teddy, one of the neighbor children, is unable to say “spaghetti”. It always comes out “miss getti”. At a pee wee T-ball game, 3 year old Mandy kept asking, “daddy can we go to the ‘confession stand’? Please, daddy!” Little Karen listens to her father talking to another T-ball player’s father discussing a story about two bicycle builders from Dayton who were the first to fly an airplane. She interrupts to say, “Oh, I know daddy! It’s the ‘Righteous Brothers’! They flew the first aero plane. Right, daddy?” Everyone in that section of the stands broke out in laughter as well as Karen and her father.

With hesitation and a big smile, young children amaze and humor us with their mistakes. They giggle and laugh and we laugh right along with them affirming them and their attempts to master our language. They are so endearing because they know they are not perfect, don't know much about anything, and in many instances, could care less about being right. They depend upon us and want our knowledge, attention and affirmation of who they are. They also want our time and guidance.

Somehow between childhood and adulthood, we adults come to the conclusion that we are no longer allowed to make mistakes. To make a mistake publicly or privately in many quarters would be an unpardonable sin for so many. Many would just rather die if they lose an argument, gave out the wrong information or be humiliated should they mispronounce a person, place or thing or forget an important date or, heaven forbid, a person’s name.

It’s funny but the people I most enjoy being around are those who enjoy laughter, don’t fear their mistakes and can apologize when they need to without wanting to run and hide and go on with living their lives beyond their errors. In other words, having the spirit of a child! Isn’t that why Jesus said we must come to Him with the attitude of a child?

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