Toddlers might not, at first, seem like a great place to get your life wisdom.
After all, you’ve taught them more or less everything they know, except those bad habits that clearly came from someone else.
Still, what about the things that toddlers do naturally, all on their own? As it turns out, there are some lessons there for us all.
1. Make Exercise Fun
Give most toddlers the opportunity to run around in circles like tiny crazy people (which they are) and they’ll gladly play along. To the average toddler, energy is easy to come by, and they’re always ready for more exercise, more moving, more dancing, more fun. As an adult though, you probably struggle to move, and have to force yourself to get out there and go for a walk or a run. So why not approach exercise from a toddler’s perspective. Pick something that you actually enjoy, not just something you ‘should’ be doing because it’s good for you. Get into something you love, and then love doing it.
2. Be Emotionally Open
Toddlers aren’t worried about hiding their emotions. If they’re happy, they’ll laugh. If they’re angry, they’ll throw a tantrum. If they’re sad, they’ll cry. Emotionally, it’s all out there for toddlers. Adults have a much more guarded approach to their emotions. We aren’t saying you should be yelling and screaming at people who annoy you, but when it comes to being comfortable to show happiness and sadness without worrying about what people think? Well, that’s definitely worth doing. Have a cry if you’ve had a horrible day, or talk to someone about how you’re actually feeling, instead of locking it up inside.
3. Learn To Say No
If you have a toddler, and their favourite word isn’t NO yet, it will be soon. When toddlers learn to say the word “no”, they use that ability frequently. Everything can be answered with this simple phrase, in your toddler’s mind anyway. Well, we aren’t saying that you should scream “NO” when people greet you in the morning, but learning to say no is something we often lose as adults. Worried about being rude or negative, we often fail to refuse tasks that we don’t want to do, causing even more stress. So next time someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, politely decline. You’ll have more time for you, and your no-loving toddler.
4. Love Your Body
It seems that, in a toddler’s mind, any opportunity wearing clothes is an opportunity for freedom wasted. That’s why they seem so eager to lift up their shirts and skirts in supermarkets, or simply strip off entirely at any moment. Why? Well, toddlers just love the skin they’re in, and you should too. We get caught up in this idea of body perfection, but you always look better in something you’re comfortable in. Try and be comfy in your own skin a little more, not by flashing your friends and neighbours, but by accepting what you’ve got and having a bit of fun with it.
