9 Tiny Relationship Secrets Even Kids Inherently Understand
Kids know a lot more about life than we do.
pixelfit | Canva When we think about the characteristics of kids, the words that come to mind are qualities like curiosity, honesty, trust, acceptance, resilience, vulnerability, and forgiveness. These are also terms we associate with the perfect romantic partnership, or the ideal friendship. Yet, for some reason, few of us carry those childlike qualities into our "adult relationships." Perhaps it's for fear of appearing immature, or maybe because someone told us we needed to put aside our childish ways and "grow up." But I think that is a huge mistake!
My study of the "Zen of the toddler" began about 12 years ago when my then 3-year-old son interjected himself into a raging argument between myself and my spouse. My son delivered a statement that not only stopped the fighting but wound up saving our marriage: "Daddy, are we going to make Mommy cry again today?" After a moment like that, you tend to pay more attention to what you're teaching your child about healthy relationships, and you also start to pay more attention to what those pint-sized love gurus can teach you! Here is a list of honest lessons our kids understand about life and love that we could stand to apply to our marriages, friendships, and other adult relationships!
Here are 9 relationship secrets even kids inherently understand:
1. Honesty is the best policy
Out of the mouths of babes, right? We may not always like it, but honesty is something that kids are candidly brilliant at. Never mind that you just spent a month at the gym and paid 300 dollars for that amazing red dress to wear at your high school reunion. Your kid is not going to let you walk out the door without you knowing that you look like a giant tomato. As adults, we adopt the attitude that speaking frankly is impolite, so we allow our relationships to be sabotaged by not telling each other what we need or want, or what habits drive us crazy. We're so bent on using our manners that we forget to be genuine with one another.
2. Life's ups and downs are a fun ride
You know it as the whirling, dizzying, unstable ring of death. To your kiddos, it's just the merry-go-round! And each time you accompany them to the park, they drag you, against your will, towards that volatile contraption. You get nauseous just watching them on that thing. However, it delights them no matter how many times they fly off, hit their heads, or puke on your shoe. Bubbly laughter is intermittently woven in between screams for more spinning. Resilience is the imitable force that keeps kids going. When you think about what our children willingly tolerate and return to just because the joy is more valuable than the bumps in the road, it makes us look pretty silly when we choose the fear or the fight over the belly laugh.
3. Make time for joy
"Please play with me!" ... Laughter, joy, cooperation, winning and losing with grace, teamwork, and connectivity ... these are all words related to play. Yet as adults, we put aside childish things like playing, and for what? In the words of my nine-year-old son, "That's just dumb!" Why is it dumb? Because play brings us closer. It allows us to let our hair down and just laugh; to feel free, goofy ... and happy! And among couples, it encourages trying new things and growth in intimacy through learning! So get dirty and go play!
4. Use your words
When a child is having a meltdown, throwing a temper tantrum, or clams up, what do we do? We encourage them to use their words and to practice respectful communication. We tell them to talk to others about how they feel, what they need, and what they expect. And yet, that's certainly not what I'm thinking about in the heat of a marital squabble. I'm half-tempted to heave a meatloaf across the kitchen to let my hubs know I'm not happy. Or else go with the ever-helpful "if you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you" tactic instead of saying what I need or how I feel. I'm convinced that the divorce rate would be cut in half if adults just learned to "use their words."
5. Vulnerability is not a weakness
If you've ever had a sick child, you know the epitome of vulnerability. 27 calls to the doctor at 3 in the morning just to find an answer. Kneeling next to a vomiting child's bed and praying to God, even though you haven't prayed since Sunday school, that he would give you the sickness instead. Hours on the internet trying to look up home remedies. Finally, in the ultimate act of human sacrifice, making that call to your Mother-in-Law and saying the words, "I have no idea what to do." That's vulnerability! Too many fights start because no one can admit they're wrong, or that they don't know the answer. And every one of them would end just as quickly if we simply learned to say, "I need help" or "I was wrong." We learn from our mistakes, but first, we have to allow ourselves to make them.
6. For the love of God, pay attention
"Watch me! Watch this! Come watch!" — These phrases are usually code for something my kid is about to do that makes me wince, but the excitement and gigantic smile across his face keep me from protesting. Kids are pretty proud of the smallest things they accomplish as they grow, and they want to share the joy. They want us to witness life with them, and it doesn't count if we're looking at our phone or stirring something on the stove when they do it. The momentary annoyance of being pulled away from "grown-up stuff" is quickly replaced by the heart swell of seeing a new experience through our child's eyes, at that moment. All any of us want is to feel acknowledged and appreciated, and that can’t happen if we're mentally or physically somewhere else. Our presence is the ultimate demonstration of love.
7. Stay curious
"Why? Why? Why?!" ... Our initial reaction when our kids ask this seemingly pesky question is usually: OMG! Seriously? Do you need to ask so many questions? Curiosity is probably the most simultaneously endearing and infuriating quality of childhood. It's the ability to watch ant hills for hours and hours and continuously and endlessly ask silly questions like "Why is the sky blue?" or "Why do we poop?" Why? Why? Why?
Usually, the questions extend longer than our patience. But imagine for a moment allowing yourself to be that open and that free from the definitive. What if you were that eager to understand the world around you? I admit to catching a glimpse of a rainbow and allowing myself to think about the scientific makeup of the spectrum instead of just letting my mind wander into the simple beauty of it and daydreaming about what I would do with the pot of gold at the end.
8. Play nice
You've all been there: driving in traffic and some jerk cuts you off; you stifle expletives as best you can. From the back seat drifts a small voice: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all." You roll your eyes so high, it looks like you're seizing, but you also know your kid is right. We tell our children to be nice to each other to promote cooperation and community, but as soon as we grow up, we act like savages to each other. We stop sharing, we stop acting with civility and we don't follow the Golden Rule ... and then we wonder why there's so much anger in the world. It's time to practice what we preach to our kids; to expect the same kind of interactions between ourselves as we expect from 2-year-olds. We need to re-learn how to play nice!
9. Say you're sorry
Did you ever notice how easy it is to ask our kids to say sorry when anything goes wrong? Or how, when we screw up as parents, we simply expect to ask our child for forgiveness and just receive it? Yet when we grow up, we hold grudges, we give the silent treatment or we plot revenge over the smallest things. Kids, on the other hand, have it mastered! Somebody gets dirt on their ice cream cone and they cry for a second. Then the culprit says "sorry," and it's done. Just like that, they are moving right along. Sure, kids remember the traumatic things just like anyone else, but generally, they are too busy loving life and finding the wonder in every amazing thing and person around them to stress over the dumb stuff.
I'll close with a biblical quote: "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." I believe when we embrace the spirit, honesty, and playfulness of a child, we are the happiest on Earth. Adults spend so much time focusing on the definitive nature of things — consequences, cause and effect, getting ahead, being stronger, smarter, and better. Kids don't feel this way. To them, everything is boundless, everyone is amazing just the way they are, and love has no conditions. If we could humble ourselves in our relationships, have faith in ourselves, and have faith in our partners, just as children do, imagine how much greater our lives, relationships, and marriages could be!
Tara Kennedy-Kline, CFC, CLC, is the author of three parenting books, including Stop Raising Einstein.