when does human growth stop being charming?
a lot of my coworkers have babies and young kids, and almost every day the whole office is treated to delightful videos and pics of them doing cute stuff that when you get down to it is just…normal human development. it’s not novel stuff to anyone but the kids themselves, and yet it is genuinely delightful. i am genuinely delighted.
and so i ask the question, of myself as much as anyone else: when do we stop enjoying watching people become people?
i am absolutely guilty of rolling my eyes and making cutting remarks when teenagers say things like, “how do we know if anything is really real? what if this is all a dream or a computer program etc etc etc.” i do it to their faces!
how gross is that? it’s like insulting a baby because they can’t eat spaghetti properly. honestly, it’s just as novel and difficult and fledgling to the teenager. they have to do that before they can get to other stuff. they’re just as, as…becoming. they are becoming.
and we sneer at it.
and look, i get that a video of a baby stuffing a chubby little fist with one (1) sauce covered noodle into their mouth has more entertainment value than like, what? a video of a 12 yo doing their algebra homework.
but if you can’t be helpful or effusive or impressed, at least don’t be mean.
#note to self
As a teacher, I can say that it is always FASCINATING to watch kids learn and use new things, but the point where it becomes tedious is the part where they start giving attitude because they think they’ve learned everything.
Look, everyone learns new things all the time. That’s what life is for. There’s a point where people get over it, and that’s when it’s not fun to teach anymore. Sometimes it happens in grade 8, grade 11, university or beyond. Sometimes people get over themselves and rediscover the joy of learning new things, and sometimes they stay crotchety and rebellious forever.
Who would you rather teach, a snotty grade 10 kid who thinks you are dumb for trying to show them how to appreciate Shakespeare, or an excited 80 year old who can’t wait to send an email to their great-grandkids?
these are excellent points! condescension is never cute. but i can’t help but think kids have to try it on a bit too. we have to help/let them learn, whether it’s fun or not. and that’s where the “at least don’t be mean” comes in for me, a non-teacher. idk how y’all handle it, truly truly my hat’s off to you.
Hey man, not everyone rolls their eyes when teenagers are processing baby’s first skeptical scenario or having baby’s first existential crisis. I don’t want to have to teach babies and young kids how to eat without making a mess or not scream and pick their noses in public; I don’t know how to deal with it and I don’t find it cute. But I do have a lot of resources for getting someone through the “what if nothing’s real” or “what if nothing matters” phase, and I get it.
Loki is the Philosopher King 