Sometimes I think kids should rule the world. They’re much better at finding contentedness in it. Really, how many adults would squeal in delight if you handed them a giant cardboard box? My kids don’t care about the quality of washing machine that came in the box. They don’t care that the washer is a much brighter white than our ancient dryer—they have a box! It’s a spaceship….a treasure chest—No!—It’s a castle! That box will bring the hours of endless joy.

But we know it’s not the box—it’s the beholder of the box.

My family tries to shop smart. The way we see it, our kids outgrow clothes too quickly to plunk down tons of money on brand names, so we do Walmart, resale shops, Ross, etc. Our kids don’t care, and we’re certainly not going to point out the labels to them. They don’t see labels anyway—they beg me to cut them out so the bothersome things won’t tickle the back of their necks. “Why do they put those in clothes, Mommy?”
One of my son’s favorite shirts came from a yard sale. It was mostly worn out, a little too big, but it has Spiderman on the front! He snatched it up before I could fish a quarter out of my pocket. If kids could teach the rest of us that kind of gratitude, maybe the world would be much happier.

Reality shows are the best with kids. My daughter thinks the ladies are pretty as little girls see it—nice hair style (especially if there’s a pink streak), a pretty smile…sparkly jewelry. There’s no mention of jiggly thighs or a stray pimple here and there. And I’m not going to point out flaws to her—I want her to see things without the critical eye of an adult. We’ve been brain washed, really—beauty is not perfection—it’s a woman/man who spends more time with the reason behind the smile, than perfecting the physique of a smile.

I can’t finish without mentioning books. I’ll have to admit, since I’ve become a writer, I’m more critical of books…I don’t go so far as to be legalistic, in fact, I love a writing rule that’s been successfully broken, but I don’t finish as many books as I used to because of my critical eye. But Noah and Chloe love books of all kinds/voices. Some of their favorite ones are what I would call amateur attempts as writing, but if there’s a good story and an interesting protagonist, my kids will sit through twenty readings in a row! Forget reader analytics—as long as there’s a grand adventure, nothing needs changed!

So hand over the keys to the city, give children a platform, because they don’t need as many of our opinions as we think they do–in fact, maybe we should take their example and quit judging the world–Lets just focus on the grand adventure.