Why I like four year olds

I teach pre-k because I am comfortable with four year old children. They are the most authentic people on the planet. Sure they're selfish and a little testy at times but they are honest; brutally honest. Don't ask a four year old for her opinion if you aren't prepared for hard truth. In fact, don't hang out with four year old children unless you want to answer difficult questions. They are inquisitive, honest and hilarious. They have no agenda beyond snack time, avoiding naps and ruling their little world. Whereas most children of this age are self absorbed, they do tend to feel badly if they hurt someone. In fact, most often the child who inflicted pain upon another is the very child who needs the most comfort afterward because he's so upset with himself. Looking around, I have to ask how we evolved into adults with less compassion than the four year old?  How have we forgotten the basic rule our mothers taught us? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Makenna walked into the kitchen yesterday with her ipod in hand shaking her head over the drama seventh graders cause. I smiled and declared I must be friends with a lot of seventh graders. The truth is I am ready for another internet hiatis. I am broken hearted by the ugliness. There are political debates, religious arguments, education reform issues, neighborhood drama and even sporting events where the discussions are the most heated blowing up my newsfeed. I won't take my own blog into a public arena simply because I am not tough enough to deal with the fallout of mean spirited people seeking to destroy me in order to feel better about themselves. It happens to anyone with the courage to put themselves out there.

I care about people. All people. I am interested in hearing stories, not opinions. I believe there are issues worth fighting for; however, I don't believe tearing anyone down to achieve a goal is worthwhile. I have opinions and wrestle with issues and in a personal conversation, I am happy to share in healthy dialog. However, I cannot bring myself to chime in on facebook, respond to email or join a group with vastly different opinions on several key points of an argument. Life is not me against them. On some level, we all want what's best for our families, friends and the community. It's okay to have different opinions about all topics; it's what makes the world so beautiful and diverse. Once we decide a politician is an idiot because her opinion is not the same as ours, we all lose. Once we attack someone in order to make an argument, we all lose. Once we decide the issue is more important than our fellow man, we all lose.