We aren't that different

I've had the chance to be around kids a lot lately, and it occurs to me that there really isn't a huge difference between kids and adults once you strip away everything.

For example, kids want to be loved. They cry and they just want someone to care. They want someone to take care of them. They want the things they do to matter, they want people to be excited when they figure out how to do new things. They want to be hugged and held. They want someone to give them attention, someone to play with them, and take time for them. When they are tired, they are cross. When things aren't working out--the tower falls over, or they can't get the puzzle piece in there, or what have you--they get upset. They don't want to wait for a snack or a story.

I find myself feeling the exact same way. I just want to be loved. I want someone to care about me because I'm me. I want to be taken care of. (Not that I don't want to take care of myself. Even kids like to do things on their own. Ever been around a kid who has just learned how to do something? Don't even think you are going to step in and do it. You'll get a very strong "I do it!" and get shoved out of the way). I want people to be excited about my accomplishments. When I'm tired, I feel cranky. When things don't work out, I want to cry and throw a tantrum. And patience is not a virtue I possess.

Of course, as an adult, I've learned not to throw tantrums--at least not in public, and without so much shouting and tears. I can wait, and sometimes I can do so patiently (books are wonderful like that). And I am normally pretty capable of taking care of myself and I feel a certain satisfaction in that. And when things go wrong, I'm better equipped to handle them, which is good, because as an adult, more things can go wrong, and on a more critical level. So, there are definitely some good things about being an adult, and some essential changes from childhood to adulthood.

But sometimes I think the world might be a better place if we remembered that it's okay to feel like a kid. It's okay to want to be held and loved. It's okay to need to be comforted. It's okay to be scared and not have all the answers and not want to be grown up. Because those things don't really change. And sometimes, what I need more than anything, is to be able to be a kid for a minute, and not have to be an adult. Maybe I'm the only 'grown-up' out there who feels that way, in which case, that explains a lot about me. But in my book, being grown-up doesn't mean we don't feel the same things we did when we were kids. We do. And maybe we'd all be a bit better off if we could sit on someone's lap like a kid once in a while.