Children Are Great Teachers

Children are some of our greatest teachers when we are present enough to listen in to what they have to share.

The children in my life have certainly helped shape me and cultivate who I am and who I am continuing to evolve into.

A constant thread and dream I have created for this life has been to be of service to humanity. The children I have been honored to know have helped me remember this is who I am.

I write these words today to fellow parents, teachers, grandparents, mentors, and anyone who might need a loving reminder to be present in your life to the children in your family or children in your care.

Words I wished I had known when I was a young stepmother and mother looking for guidance during times of impatience, exhaustion, uncertainty, and overwhelm at being a parent and a teacher. There was always a lesson unfolding for me that I was not always aware of. A greater purpose was revealing itself to me through the eyes and actions of my children or the children in my care. Wake up, lean in, and listen to what your children are saying to you with their words, in their silence, and with their actions. There will be much to glean.

Children are incredible teachers. When you are given the opportunity to spend time with a child, I invite you to take the time to look deeply into their eyes and listen to their words, their facial expressions, their open hearts, and really be present for them. They have so much to offer.

Sometimes you just need to talk to a

3-year old to gain a

fresh perspective to

remember what is important in life.

Learn to live in the space created by their open hearts and fill up with their energy and their ability to love unconditionally. Their eyes are the windows to their souls and a gateway into the universe of remembering who we truly are at our core and in our hearts.

Remember we all come from a source of love. Children remind us of where we come from and what we are made of. We are here to create a life made from love. Children live in the present moment and can teach us how to get back to what matters most in our lives...to create, to play, to forgive, and to love unconditionally. Children are not born in fear, they are not judgmental, critical, selfish, or guarded...those are learned behaviors. They are mirrors and reflect back to us how we are in the world.

"Children see magic because they look for it."

-Christopher Moore

They are open channels to the unseen world and are willing to let us be a part of their magical world. Will you take the time to listen and to notice what they have to teach you? We are all multi-dimensional beings who come here equipped with extrasensory perceptions. Children's antennae are on the volume of high where ours have been turned down or possibly temporarily shut-off.

Some where a long the way we begin little by little to forget our super powers and we have to reawaken to who we are. We close our hearts and stifle our feelings and our emotions because we are taught that being vulnerable is weakness. We are taught to hurry and grow up, be responsible, and to let go of the power to create with our imaginations.

Babies and young children have not yet been conditioned or socialized in our world to shut down their love, feelings, imagination, intuition, or their innate magic. They readily share with us what they see, feel, and know in ways that they can communicate throughout each stage of their development.

Children remind us to not take life too seriously and to always make time to play. Ingredients to play...Pause + Love + Allow + You = PLAY. We all know how important play is for children. It is just as important for adults' well-being to make time for play, too. It may just be the magic elixir you have been missing in your life. When was the last time you went out to just play for the fun of it?

Play helps us to pause from our busy schedules of always doing and invites us back into a state of being. Allow the activities you love and that bring you joy, bring them back into your every day to enjoy fun with family, friends, and your beloved pets. Play is essential. Play lightens the load you carry. Play can be a meditation in motion. Play makes us giggle, laugh, be silly, and to let go of always having to be the responsible one. It helps us to relax and then we can breathe deeply and smile.

Remember smiling and laughing are yoga for your face, body, mind, and soul. Go roll down a hill, run to the corner and back to see how fast you can run, jump rope, go to a park and swing on a swing, climb a tree or climb through the jungle gym and definitely go down the slide. Get outside in nature and PLAY to your heart's content.

When you bring play back into your life, it brings a lightness in to your life. It offers the love, freedom, and imagination inside of you to flow out of your heart like it did when you were a child. When you weave playful activities into your life it invites in more joy, happiness, collaboration, and connection to your children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, and family. If you have a pet, a dog or cat I would imagine they are constantly trying to get your attention to play more.

As I pause and glance back at my life, playing has been an integral part and constant practice that helped me immensely in my ability to connect to my children and the people in my life and to not take life too seriously.

My 12 grandchildren have truly upped my game with playing and creating and brought a deeper awareness into the importance of playing together, being present, and engaging in all kinds of fun. Playing helps me to stay flexible in my mind and my body and opens my heart to the unlimited possibilities of what's next.

We climb, crawl, jump, roll, and slide down slides at the park. We draw, color, paint, dance, sing and eat in the kitchen all while listening to silly songs. We chase lightening bugs and lay in the grass or in the hammock and look up at the stars. Playing will show you the way back to the lightness of your being and your connection to what is most important in your life.

"Grandma, are you getting old?" My four-year old grandson asked me quite

innocently and out of the blue one day. His sweet question danced around in my thoughts. I was caught a bit off guard. Kids do that to me. They are playing around one minute and then in the next minute, they stop, look me deep in the eyes, and a deep inquiry comes out of their mouths.

For a moment, I found myself lost in the reverie of my 62 years of age. I wondered where his question came from and how he saw me. I responded with a smile, a pause, and a deep breath, "Yes, I guess I am getting older in years as every day passes. I don't ever feel old and I promised him I would always be a kid in my heart!" Then he beams a beatific smile up at me and sweetly replies, "I don't think you're old."

They feel everything with all of their senses and they are not afraid to voice it. Sometimes it is shown through laughter, singing, dancing, and playing. Other times, they use their bodies through their actions by throwing themselves on the floor, stomping their feet, rolling their eyes at something we have said, or by running and screaming to another room to hide when things don't feel right to them. They live in the truth of their feelings. It is our job to listen.

Children innately know the truth and how to cry or scream aloud to be heard. Once they have expressed themselves, cried or acted it out, they can easily let things go and move on to the next thing and they do not hold a grudge. Children readily share their feelings of joy or sadness at every little thing they encounter. They see, feel, and know the perfection of nature and how great it is to climb a tree, jump in puddles, and roll down a hill of grass laughing and getting really dizzy and then standing up and trying to walk. It is hilarious and can change any bad mood. Go roll down a hill and see how your energy shifts.

They are tuned into the energy in their homes, playgrounds, schools, or any environment they are in. When they are very young, they do not have the language to communicate what they are feeling or sensing. They can act out in a myriad of ways. In no uncertain terms, they let you know somehow that something needs to shift from their perspective. Lean in and tune in to what they are trying to communicate to you...are they mirroring your actions? Your feelings?

It is a great way to notice when they act out and how they are reacting. Children learn from us and we can learn from them. Begin to pay attention to how you respond to life's joys and challenges and to what is happening around you in your world. Are you full of fear, anxiety, overwhelm...do you always tell the truth? Take a page out of their play book and begin to live truthfully from your heart space and see what comes next...invite in more PLAY: Pause, love, allow, you...the magic elixir to fuel a change in your life.

Angela O'Brien-Greywitt, Intuitive Mystic

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