Observation Diary #1: The Sweet Ignorance of Childhood

Is ignorance bliss?  Some of you would say no, yes, or (like myself) would say sometimes.   Looking back at my childhood, I remember being so ignorant.  This is for the simple reason that I was not aware of the true struggles life throws in the mix of other things that cause a great deal of stress.  As a young girl, I thought that everything would work out perfectly in the end.  However, I know think that it is better to have all of the knowledge possible.  By knowing, you can understand why things happen the way they do.  You can also have a realistic grasp of the world.  Now I will share with you one of the most angering experiences I experienced while babysitting Smiley and Pierre which so clearly explains what I am talking about above...

Here in Utah the air is extremely dry which causes many people to have dry skin.  Pierre happens to be one of those unlucky people.  We had gotten back from swimming and I remember that Rainbow told me to apply lotion on Pierre's cheeks. (Note, Rainbow is the code name for their mom because she is happy, and loves to change her hair color frequently)

Being the responsible person that I am, I said, "Pierre, we need to put lotion on your cheeks so that the dryness will go down."

Original Graphic by Claire

"WHY!!!!!?????" was his response.

Through a deep breath I explained, "You don't want your skin to get red or irritated!"

"But your skin has a bunch of bright red dots everywhere," Pierre beamed proudly at me.

In case you didn't already figure out what these "red dots" are, they are acne.  Like many teenagers, I am acne prone.  The frustrating part about it is that I have tried so hard to get "rid" of it.  Nothing has worked for my red dotty skin.  Yet, everyday I put a false smile on my face and pretend it isn't there.

When Pierre said this I was fighting back tears and put on my infamous false smile.  Afterwards, I really thought about why he had said this to me in the first place.  For starters he is ignorant to other people's feelings as most six year olds are; a fourteen year old would never say this!  During childhood, you don't bother to think about how your words can effect others in the long run.  I really wish Pierre had thought before he spoke because every time I look in the mirror I remember his words.

Overall, that simple conversation between us has never left me.  I carry the rude message everywhere I go.  I've also learned that childhood is so great because you aren't thinking about the impacts of your actions.  Little kids rarely over-think the context of their sentences.  Also, I realized how badly I want to go back to being six were I didn't have hours of homework, social drama, having to play sports for graduation credit, writing essays, memorizing countries and so much more.  Man oh man, I miss the sweet ignorance of childhood.