I guess some things just come with age. Maybe they grow and sprout because of some belated turning on of some gene; maybe with the onset of age, you start to be more receptive of things; maybe with age comes exposure and with that, you become more open-minded to things. Whatever the case, I find myself increasingly tolerant of kids.

I start to realize that indeed, all that kids want is to have fun – generally harmless fun. Save for the occasional malicious ones (think Edmund Hooper in King of the Castle), the innate desire of a kid would be to enjoy himself. Given, an equally compelling craving of a kid would be love and affection (and attention). I’m not too sure what’s going on in me for this pretty big change. But the moment I found the kids really adorable on Children’s Sunday last month, I knew I was in for it. Oh wells. Sometimes change just strikes you when you don’t even know it.

And as I took some time to think back and reflect on what brought about this change, I decided that it’s a combination of internal and external factors. How expected and politically correct. Anyhows, internal factor first. I would think that it’s that age where thoughts of having a life-long companion, a family, a house etc seem to come naturally.

As for the external factors, I think it’s after more interactions and exposure to different perspectives that I have come to be more receptive of alternative considerations. One interesting note, it’s not the first time I have been presented with alternative viewpoints but in the past there is that strong resistance against acknowledging that kids can be so adorable. In the absence of any logical explanation, I therefore would say that the softening of an otherwise hard-line stand is likely to be attributed to age.

Talking to people, listening to their childhood experiences, contemplating how childhood should be like, I find myself convinced by these people. I guess my own childhood experience heavily coloured the way I look at things, which is not surprising because we are always subjected to our pre-conceived notions which are invariably a corollary to our personal experiences.

Well, what can I say? I never fail to be amazed at the changes that undergo in my life, whether intentional or otherwise. To quote a friend, life is a heck of an adventure.

Labels: growing up, writings

Labels: poem, rambling