We are all children at heart.

And in many of the activities that call us we are as uncertain of the steps to take, as unsure of the course of the outcomes as any ten-year-old. 

No matter the age, what we all need in the midst of any challenge is soft comfort from a loved one and gently probing questions that serve to guide our choices as we move ahead with the task.

Giving someone explicit directions about how to proceed can deprive them of opportunities for discovery.

Stumbling is part of the human experience. 

 Picking ourselves up allows us an additional glance at the landscape on which we tripped. 

In the second glance comes a new understanding, and thus the growth the gift of life has promised us.

We'll walk on sidewalks, eat with forks, talk in sentences, and keep our clothes buttoned.

But the child inside us looks out with eager eyes and stands ready to question any rule that seems absurd.

Sometimes we bully that interior child into silence, for its questions embarrass us. Sometimes we hide it, sit on it, punish it -- but it's always there.

If we put that child to sleep, we lose one of the best parts of ourselves. We are right to question, to want to see for ourselves, especially when we're asked to do something that troubles our conscience. 

The child needn't always have its way, but it deserves our love.