THe Wisdom of CHildren

"Are you ok, Mom? You seem...stressed or something."

A busy mom is clanging dishes around the sink and hurriedly loading them into the dishwasher. The nine-year old standing nearby is pouring milk in her cereal bowl, and asks, "Are you ok, Mom? You seem...stressed or something." Mom replies, "Well yeah I am stressed. I don't know what it is...(long pause). I'm overwhelmed with housework, plus working two jobs. It's just impossible to do everything," to which a very wise child responds, "Well, Mom, it can't be impossible, because you're doing it."

How brilliant are children sometimes? They are amazingly capable of seeing the simple logic of a situation without negativity and unrealistic expectations that we adults become so good at using in our everyday lives. In this scenario, the fact the child so clearly sees, is that Mom has used the wrong label of "impossible" for her situation. Using this word doesn't accurately reflect reality. 

Imagine the last time you labeled a circumstance as impossible or insurmountable. When's the last time you told yourself you are stuck with no options or direction to turn. 

When we use these labels to describe our reality, feelings result like sadness, hopelessness, fear, or anger. 

How are thoughts related to feelings and behavior? Which comes first? 

Sometimes stepping back, stripping away the labels, and reassessing our thinking can dramatically change our outlook from dreary to hopeful, from hopeless to grateful, from angry to accepting.

This is a very simple lesson indeed, but a powerful one. What wisdom of children!

Individual counseling at Flourish can help if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.