It’s amazing how children think and formulate their thought patterns. It’s never something that struck me as fascinating until the day my wife and I started having kids. Kids are simple, but are really intuitive. They take complex things and can really simplify them for us. Though things seem chaotic at times, kids can really simplify your life and just make you stop and chuckle.
I have gotten to the point now that if I need a new slogan for my business or a website I am designing I will ask my kids and see what they come up with. It will surprise you. And who do you think would be better at thinking outside the box? Kids are less influenced by society than adults and can think more literally than us big people.
What really was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and made me realize this fact was a few years ago when my oldest child and I were peeling a cucumber. She loves cucumbers and we ate cucumber after cucumber for a long time. Peel it up, slice it into circles on a large plate, and then sprinkle salt on them.
Well I was in the middle of peeling our cucumber for an afternoon snack when my daughter said, “Dad I don’t want a cucumber.” I was absolutely shocked as she had always loved them and actually were somewhat obsessed with eating them. What I didn’t realize at the time was she was setting me up. She was 4 years old at the time and I came back with, “Well too bad, this is what we are eating.” She persisted, “But Dad, I really don’t want a cucumber.”
I was so stunned by this. So I came back strongly, “Well too bad, you are eating a cucumber whether you like it or not. You have always liked cucumbers. There is no reason to stop liking them now.”
She then got this grin on her face and said, “But Dad (giggle), I don’t want a cucumber, I want a Y-cumber (giggle).”
I busted out laughing. That did it for me and I realized how kids are so simple and can really think outside the box. She was learning her letters and therefore the emphasis all along was on the letters. As an adult you begin to look past all that stuff. You begin to just accept things for what they are.
So if you need original ideas get your kids involved. It may surprise you. So think outside the Q-cumber and think more like a kid.
-sillydad
My 2 1/2 year old daughter is still in diapers. It depends on the day whether or not the potty is included in her life. Some days she does real well and other times she is just not interested. I remind her quite often and ask her if she needs to go potty, but still it really depends on how she feels.