Eyes of Wonder….

Yesterday we took the boys to see “Rise of the Guardians”. What a lovely movie. While I was watching, it occurred to me to write my next blog about what Santa said. He talks to Jack Frost about what is in his core… what is he about. At the time Jack doesn’t know, but Santa knows what his is. His is wonder.

He sees the wonder in everything – snowflakes, toys, flowers, falling, cats, dogs, skunks… everything. It was during this part of the movie that I got goosebumps. Imagine living like that. A permanent grin of wonder on your face. Nothing would phase you. You could see the silver lining in everything. Life would be so much better.

Isn’t that how our kids are? They definitely start out that way. Just the other day I was with a baby, and there was a big thunderstorm, and the mom’s (of the baby) instinct was to protect her  baby and make sure he wasn’t afraid. But the baby was sitting and playing and when the thunder struck, he just looked upwards, and had a look of curiosity on his face. Confused and curious about the sound. But not at all fearful. She of course did what any mom would do, and picked him up and said “Don’t be scared, it’s just thunder”… and I couldn’t help thinking “but he wasn’t”. And then I thought of Santa.

Fears are taught. Somewhere along the way we teach them to be afraid of thunder, instead of wonder at it. It is a truly amazing thing, if you think about it. Thunder is caused by the sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning as it causes a sudden expansion of the air around a bolt of lightning. This expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a sonic boom, which produces the sound of thunder. Pretty cool hey? So why don’t we say to our kids “WOW! Listen to that! Do you know what that is?” Teach them what it is, not how to feel about it. Of course it’s going to make you jump if you aren’t expecting it, but why not jump in wonder than in fear.

Start looking at the world through your children’s eyes, instead of making them see it through yours. Claim back that childlike curiosity and wonder. We think we have so much to teach them, but we don’t realise how much they can teach us. So often I hear people wistful about their youth… about how simple life was. How innocent. But we complicate things that sometimes don’t need to be complicated.

I want to challenge you. For a week. Look at life through your children’s eyes. Watch them and learn from them.

Be Santa. Be wonder-full.