Innocent?

I'm not sure that whoever said that "kids are innocent" has ever really spent any time around any kids--ever. Why? It only takes a few minutes to prove this statement false.Spend one minute or two minutes with any child and you will instantly see that they are NOT innocent. In any given day, I put up with selfish desires and pride (I want that pencil, I don't want to use the worst crayon, I want to sit in that spot, he won't share with me, I want to be first), manipulation (if I cry hard enough, I will get what I want), insubordination (I know what you said, I just don't want to do it) and the desire to NOT be guilty or punished for a wrongdoing--and making sure everyone else is. (I hit someone, but will cry if you send me to the office...he touched me, he pushed me, he drank water at the wrong time, he won't share...) or the every favorite (I am going to tell what everyone else is doing wrong because I never, EVER do anything wrong....and if someone tells on me, it isn't true. I didn't do it.)

Ok, so kids aren't innocent. But most adults are....right? Reminder: kids are just little versions of us....adult humans. They don't yet have their barriers up that tell them how to hide their inner desires. They haven't yet learned to hide their wrongdoings....or even to notice them. They have few inhibitions--remember? So spending time with kids teaches us something about ourselves...even if buried deep behind walls and good deeds, all those little things that kids are famous for are within us. We all have selfish desires in which we wish for the best of the best or to be the most beautiful or to have the most money. We all try to manipulate a situation--maybe not noticeably...but through our actions or thoughts or fears.We all sometimes feel like going our own way. We KNOW the rules, we KNOW what is ultimately harmful, we KNOW what our creator wants....but we go against it anyway. Even if just for a moment. And if we get caught, we deny it, or complain about the consequences--or run from them. We have no problem reporting other peoples' behaviors to the authorities, especially if it means clearing our own name. We don't like to be held responsible for our choices and instead try to make the world believe that our choices are good.

And then we come across the fact that children are the same--everywhere. I have traveled to many different countries and experienced children of many cultures. No matter where they have grown up, who their parents are, what color their skin is, how much money they live with or what religion is prevalent in their country and lives--they have the same inner desires and wrongdoings. All kids tattle, cry, disobey, rebel, deny and manipulate. The same goes for people of all nations as well...remember...kids = little people.

So what can we learn from this? Humans have a natural desire to do wrong. We have a nature that makes us want to go the wrong direction and rebel against the rules. There is not one person who is perfect and innocent. Kids and adults alike. Kids reflect our human desire to do wrong.It is within all of us.
But remember: we do not have to be be ruled by our natural desire. There is someone who wants to live within us to help us defeat the desires. He changes us and helps us to grow stronger.

What is this blog all about?

I have been wanting to start this blog for awhile. Why? As a teacher, I spend countless hours with kids each day. And if any of you have even MET a kid, you know that that leads to a very interesting life. Kids are full of new ideas and energy. They are brutally honest and have little inhibitions.Kids teach us many things about the world, about people, about ourselves. They are, after all, just little, less mature versions of us grown up humans. They reflect human nature, and our creator in daily life. This is a look into life as discovered by being with kids. I hope you enjoy it.