Number 20 - Learn from a Five-year Old

Yes Man

Number 20 – Learn from a Five-year Old

After spending a lot of time the past three weeks with my grandson Krischan, I’ve become pretty familiar with his level of proficiency with the English language.  I have to admit: For a barely five-year old boy, he’s got quite the way with words.  I especially like his go-to response on the rare occasion when I had to admonish him with an ever-so-slight reprimand: ‘You hurt my heart.’  This, of course is then followed up with slouched shoulders and lips extending all the way down to his chin.  It was all I could do to keep from chuckling out loud or at the very least giving him a great big hug from G-Pa. 

One word that appears to have disappeared from Krischan’s vocabulary is the word ‘no.’ In fact the only time I recall Krischan using it was after he jumped in the tub for a bath and I told him I wanted to wash his hair so he could relax and enjoy playing with his rubber dolphins (a mother and her three calves) until his toes started turning into prunes.  If it wasn’t for the fact that the shampoo (a) was tear-free, (b) smelled like watermelon and (c) featured SpongeBob SquarePants on the bottle, I probably wouldn’t have stood a chance.  Thank goodness for American marketing.

The word—other than ‘G-Pa, of course—that I heard most often was simply: ‘Yes.’

No matter what the question, the answer was always the same. 

‘Do you want to go for a really long run that will make us super tired?’

‘Do you want to try a bite of this?  It’s really, really hot.’

‘Do you want to go for a ride in the car with the top down even though it might rain and we’ll get wet?’

‘Do you want to throw a penny in the fountain and make a wish?’

‘Do you want me to read a scary book to you?’

‘Do you want to play catch?  Throw the football?  Shoot baskets?’

‘Do you want to dig for worms?  Look for ants?  Chase the squirrels?’ 

‘’Do you want to take a walk in the woods and look inside the old shack where zombies probably live?’

‘Do you want to get on a rocket ship and fly to the moon?’

The answer was always the same: ‘Yes.’

The kid is one part adventurer, one part thrill-seeker and three parts fearless.  And without a doubt, the kid is…100% boy.

Several nights while Krischan was with us I was a bit surprised by something he said ‘yes’ to, seeing as ‘no’ was the answer I had been getting for the first five years of his life.  After a rather full day of (as we called them) ‘man things’ I asked him just after 9 p.m. if he was ready to put on his Ninja Turtle jammies and go to sleep.  You can imagine my surprise hearing the word ‘yes’ where the word ‘no’ used to live. 

I learned a lot these past three weeks.  I learned life can be more exciting when you’re willing to take risks.  I learned life is a lot more fun when you’re willing to try new things.  I learned life is a lot more—exhilarating when you’re willing put your fears aside and just go for it.  No matter your age, there’s a lot to be learned from an inquisitive, wide-eyed and willing-to-give-everything-and-anything-a-chance five-year old boy. 

With 30 more new things to try during the remainder of 2014, these past three weeks have put things into a different perspective.  I’m going to have to be more adventurous, thrill-seeking and downright fearless if I’m going to make this year different….make this year worthwhile.

  

At 59 years of age, I’ve still got new things to learn.

I’ve still got new things to do.

Most of all, I’ve still got new things to live. 

If you have any doubts, just ask Krischan.