5 Things We Took For Granted As Children

Moving out of home as we transition into adulthood is a wonderful thing. We gain independence, become self-reliant, and have the freedom to really discover who we are and what we want in life.

Sometimes we enjoy the independence of adulthood so much that we forget the things that make up who we are.

Being back in my hometown for a couple of months, I realise that there are things most of us took for granted as children.

1. Mother’s Love

Ain’t nothing like the love of a mother. She cares you like no one else does. She loves you like no one else ever will. No matter how good or bad you are, for most of us, she will always forgive you and welcome you home.

A mother’s love is love of extreme sacrifices — when someone else’s well-being is above her own; when someone else’s pain stabs her heart with the knife; when someone else’s wrong doing causes her heartbreak and disappointment.

Sometimes we take for granted the love of our mothers — which is probably the only love that lasts until the day she dies. We used to yell. We used to argue. We used to lie. We used to rebel. We used to date the wrong boys and do stupid things just to give her headaches and painful adrenaline rushes. All of these did nothing but hurt her.

A mother shows her love through her actions, not her words. She proves to us that actions are the only things that truly count.

2. Father’s Wisdom

Everyone grows up with different types of parents — some have cool, hipster parents; some have strict, conservative parents; some have free-spirited parents; some have parents as protective as a dog.

Regardless of what our parents are like in terms of personality traits and lifestyles, they always pass on something they learned to us.

From always reading documents before signing, to how to live life, how to do house chores, how to pick fruits, how to play sports, how to ride a bike, how to be patient and accept that we can’t always get the toys we want, how to laugh at ourselves when we trip over, and how to cry when it hurts and get back up again…

Without them as our mentors when we were young, we would have stumbled upon so many more errors in life. The preaches might seem like they’ve gone into one ear and right out through the other. But as we get older, those things they preached us start to turn into life’s golden wisdom. The skills they taught become valuable for a lifetime.

The mindset they planted into us is probably the most powerful thing one could inherit from parents. 

3. Basic Needs Made Simple

Society turns things we don’t actually need in life into something we think we do. Society imposes on us the material-based definition of success and happiness. Over and over along with everything and everyone else feeling and doing the same thing, we try so hard to attain happiness and raise the bar of what we believe are our basic needs.

A simple home-cooked meal. A comfortable bed. A cosy living room. A Hug.

We had only these when we were kids, and we were happy. We were full. We were satisfied. We felt safe. It felt like home.

4. Being in the ‘Now’ & Enjoying the Moment

Moving into adulthood, we are bombarded with so many responsibilities and tasks we have to prioritise. We took for granted the times when being in moment was easy; when mindfulness was unintentionally practiced; when we were in the present at all time.

When we were kids, all it took to make us happy was simply just to have the time to play (of course, toys were additional bonuses).

What truly made us happy was being allowed to run free, to talk, to laugh, to interact with another kid, to role play, to create, to draw, paint, write, to kick balls, and to let our imagination run wild.

Being in the ‘Now’ hasn’t been easy for adults. In fact, it is so hard that mindfulness has become such a new life concept that many people are trying to learn and practice every day. 

Sometimes it’s good to stop everything else in the world for a few days, a week, or a month, and start embracing your inner child. Let your mind run free. Engage in this on a regular basis.

5. Being Free — Physically, Emotionally, and Mentally

We took for granted the times when we were completely free.

Free to try different things and change. Free to fail. Free to imagine and create. Free to run. Free of baggage and walls. Free of fear.

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Shall we go back and embrace the things in life we took for granted again? 

I think it’s time.

And actually…the most valuable things in life are free.