They’re Just Kids: They don’t know what they don’t know (#414)

Children come into the world curious, fearless, and gloriously unaware of limits.

They don’t know what they don’t know. And that’s exactly what makes them such natural learners, explorers, and storytellers.

Curiosity Before Confidence

Watch a child pick up a feather, chase a shadow, or ask why the moon follows the car.

They’re not embarrassed by what they don’t understand. They’re enchanted by it. Every day is a question waiting for an answer. Or better yet, a mystery waiting to be imagined into a story.

As adults, we often rush to explain. We want to fill in the blanks, to give the “right” answers.

But sometimes, it’s the not knowing that fuels imagination.

That pause before understanding. The wondering. That’s where creativity lives.

The Gentle Art of Letting Them Learn

It’s tempting to step in, to save them from frustration or failure. Yet, so much of learning comes from trying, missing, and trying again.

When a child builds a tower that topples, or paints a sky that turns green, they’re not failing. They’re discovering balance, color, and patience.

In those moments, they don’t need correction. They need encouragement. A quiet “Tell me about what you made” often teaches more than a tidy explanation ever could.

Picture Books as Guides

Good picture books honor this space between knowing and not knowing. They don’t preach or explain; they invite. They open a door to imagination and trust the child to step through.

Stories give shape to feelings and ideas that children are only beginning to name.

Writers and illustrators who respect that process and who remember what it felt like to not know create books that truly connect. They speak to the heart before they speak to the head.

A Message for Grown-Ups

“They’re just kids” isn’t an excuse for ignorance; it’s a reminder of wonder.

Children don’t yet know what they don’t know.

But, they want to.

And our greatest gift as adults is to let them keep that hunger alive.

So, the next time a child asks a question you can’t answer, resist the urge to Google it. Ask what they think.

Because in that shared moment of not knowing, you might just remember what it feels like to learn something for the very first time.

Rick’s Commentary

Every great discovery, from the first step to the first story, begins with not knowing.

Let’s celebrate that.

Let’s protect it.

Because the day a child stops wondering is the day we’ve taught them too much and listened too little.

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