{"id":32565,"date":"2024-01-16T20:57:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T01:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=32565"},"modified":"2024-01-16T20:57:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T01:57:02","slug":"monday-morning-moment-staying-curious-leading-children-to-be-so","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=32565","title":{"rendered":"Monday Morning Moment – Staying Curious & Leading Children to Be So"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo Credit: UVA Today<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We were born curious. Little children asking “Why?” over and over again. Wanting to know, to understand, to shine light on this great big world of ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.”<\/em> – Arnold Edinborough<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we get older, we get comfortable with what we know. Our sense of wonder too often flattens into the daily routine. We have occasional forays into a trending pursuit, or we hunker down for a time to develop a new skill. Can we call those activities and intentionalities curiosity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiosity comes out of a desire to understand those around us and the world we share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don\u2019t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don\u2019t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what\u2019s behind the words.\u201d<\/em> – Roy T. Bennett, Compassionate Curiosity – Asking Good Questions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiosity communicates caring. As we fix our gaze on another person and ask the questions needed to actually get to know them, we show genuine interest. That interest draws the other person into a space of belonging…of belonging with us. Curiosity about the world, beyond the person, fills us with wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.”<\/em> – Albert Einstein<\/a>, \u2014”Old Man’s Advice to Youth: ‘Never Lose a Holy Curiosity.'” LIFE Magazine<\/em> (2 May 1955) p. 64\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to us as we grow up? Do children lose their sense of curiosity and can it be regained? Yes and yes. Be curious yourself about the children around you. Have they already shrunk their worlds into a small group of friends and a few preferred activities? Do they find people intriguing and nature wholly fascinating? Are they open to being a part of a larger community…one that is multi-generational and multi-cultural?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently I came across an Instagram post<\/a> by Ian Simkins<\/a>. As you swipe left, across several screens, Simkins talks about the curiosity of children and what happens as we get older. Before I can really impress upon my grandchildren to be more curious, I have to practice it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Ian Simkins (@iansimkins)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>