7 Life Lessons From A Toddler

We all have an important mission and responsibility as parents: to help our children thrive, to educate, and support them in their process of finding their path. Even though these goals might seem far-fetched, especially if your children are toddlers, time goes by so fast.

In just a few years you will find yourself being part of school-parents’ communities, helping your child choose the dress or the suit for the prom and celebrating his college admission. However, until then you need to nurture and educate your children and assist them when their personalities and temperament begin to be more significant and obvious.

Parents have one of the hardest jobs in the world: raising functional, healthy, and well-adapted children that will thrive and be successful later in life. Of course, this road is full of good and positive events and emotions, but of negative ones too. Because those are the ones that give us feedback on our behavior and actions and help us improve and develop ourselves.

However, during this process, not only children are the ones who learn new things. For some people, it may seem odd, but as a parent, you can learn a lot of things from your children, even though they are toddlers. 

The toddler period might seem the most challenging one, as they constantly throw tantrums and fits. But after it goes away, you come to realize that even though it was difficult, it was a period full of things you have learned from your little toddler. And you must price these lessons.

You Make Your Own Joy
This is one of the most precious lessons you can learn from a toddler. As we grow up, we develop our theory of mind, gather more information, and consider different things when making decisions. As we grow up, we change our view of the world, and we often make it more complicated, and this prevents us from enjoying life at its fullest.

Which is exactly what a toddler does. No matter if the weather is sunny or rainy, no matter if there are toys or friends to play with, a toddler always finds something exciting around him. This is not necessarily because they know so little about the world so they constantly have something to discover, but because they make their own joy. Life is short and worth living, so try focusing on the things you can control and make your own happiness.

Let Go of Social Stigmas
One of the main characteristics of toddlers is that they see anybody as a friend. As an adult, you know this is not only the case, and this is because of your own experiences. Toddlers, instead, do not judge anyone based on their skin color, religion, clothes, appearance, and so on.

This is obvious when you observe toddlers in children's parks. They can easily make and seek out friends to enjoy the day with and interact. Socialization is good for toddlers, but for adults too.

And letting go of your insecurities and social stigma is one of the things you can learn from toddlers. This can help you both in your personal and professional life.

Be Honest
Honesty is something many people think they possess, but they refrain from showing it. It might be because of fear of rejection or a lack of self-confidence. Toddlers do not know any of these. The downside is that they sometimes make people feel awkward, but everybody knows that toddlers are honest so everyone is understanding.

We have all witnessed times when toddlers tell people they are fat or that they want someone to leave. But the good part of this is that they are honest with themselves and with you too. This means that if you support your toddler, he can openly share his feelings and emotions, making it easier for you to help him.

Do Not Give Up
We are often drawn back by our insecurities, by what other people say or think about us, or by our constant failures. There are times when we can’t take it anymore, when we want to give up and end the story here.

Toddlers teach us to never give up. Because they never do, and after days, weeks or months of practice, failures, and trying, they manage to succeed. They learn to walk, to climb frames in the park, or to drink from a mug and not from a baby bottle. No matter how hard the process is, do not give up. Try a little harder because everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

Love Nature
Whenever you see the happiness and joy a toddler feels when he goes out for a walk, you may start wondering how many resources of happiness and joy they have. However, some things can make you happier and one of them is nature.

Nature acts as a stress reliever and it can be your source of comfort and calm. It reduces anxiety, stress, and helps you sleep better, so find the time to explore and learn more about the biodiversity around you.

Take Your Time to Enjoy Every Moment
Adults are constantly in a rush, says this research paper. We rush to work, to meetings, to pick our kids from kindergarten, to cook, and so on. At the end of the day, we are defeated by the number of tasks we have not accomplished yet.

But toddlers, they enjoy every moment of their life. They make their joy and live their life at its fullest. Forget about those dishes you hadn’t cleaned or about how tidy your house is. Spend time with your dear ones, with your family and kids, and cherish every moment. Because life is too short to spend it worrying about some minor inconveniences.

Love Yourself and the Others Unconditionally
Toddlers teach us the importance of love, and besides this, the importance of communicating your love. Love can give you superpowers, it can help you gain self-confidence and give you wings to fly.

And the most important thing is that toddlers love unconditionally. They do not care if you gained weight, if you are sick, if you are stressed or if you make mistakes. They love you anyway and so do you, as their parent.

Even though they know little about the world that surrounds them, toddlers teach us some valuable lessons. The importance of loving yourself and the others unconditionally, of being yourself and enjoying every moment of your life.

Toddlers teach us about honesty, making your own joy, and embracing the benefits of time spent in nature. And the most important thing, do not rush, take your time and do not give up. Try a little harder and everything will be okay in the end.

Emma Coffinet produces content for websites, blogs, articles, white papers, and social media platforms. She also offers dissertation help to students all over the world on topics such as psychology and sociology. Emma is keen on capturing the attention of a target audience. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter.