Old people find children delightful, almost universally. A kid at a retirement home immediately becomes the center of attention. Whether it's a baby or a third grader, elderly people, and adults in general, just love seeing kids.
Maybe the little ones remind us of our own kids or our own childhood. Maybe we like imagining what these children will become. Maybe we want to make up for missed opportunities to love on children.
But what makes kids so delightful?
The joy of kids is so genuine and untainted. They squeal with delight. They jump and dance around. They talk incessantly about their happiness. The folks around happy kids feed on that joy. Adults can capture, just for a moment, the bliss of simple contentment.
Little kids also openly express their bad feelings. They may be tired, or angry, or disappointed, or frustrated. They let it all out with plenty of decibels.
But the adults don't usually feed on those bad feelings. We feed on the joy, but not the sadness. That's what makes kids so much fun. The good times are wide open, and the bad times will soon be gone.
Why don't we "catch" the bad vibes? Adults usually know the source of those bad feelings. The kid is tired, or hungry, or impatient, or disappointed. Knowing the source of the discomfort, we also know that the bad feelings are temporary. They will resolve, fairly quickly. The child will get rest or food or whatever they need. The bad feelings will be soon be gone.
Now to the child, the situation seems impossible to resolve. They have good reasons to feel all those big feelings. That's even healthy. They have every reason to cry or whine or complain.
But adults don't feel overwhelmed by the kid's emotions. Adults know the cause of the discomfort, and know that it will soon be all better. Even so, adults should acknowledge and validate the kid's bad feelings. "That's frustrating, isn't it, Buddy?" "I know you don't want to share the toy, but you will have your turn soon." "I know you feel bad right now; let's get some rest."
Sometimes adults may need to allow an uncomfortable situation to continue for a while, so that the child can develop some patience, or unselfishness, or perseverance.
I think this is how God deals with us.
He delights in our delight. He stays with us in our bad feelings, knowing that our situation will resolve. He sometimes allows hardship to continue, but knows that we will grow through it.
Adults have enough experience to see that kids' hardships are temporary. But somehow we fail to realize that our own difficulties will also resolve.
I'm glad God knows it, and loves us even when we pitch a fit.
