I’ve begun to examine what goes through my head when I’m interacting with kids. So I thought I’d share. The original rants are at Flickr.com, but here are some snippets:

There are few things I wouldn’t postpone or cancel when given the chance to interact with a child.

On self-confidence:

As Eleanor Roosevelt told us, “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Give them the confidence to deal with people — ignore people — handle people — who want to do just that.

If you do your job right, they won’t be afraid to take silly pictures of themselves.

Noisy and involved is good:

Being quiet and civilized is important. On occasion. But usually it’s nowhere near as important as being noisy and interactive and educational.

Developing self-awareness:

Aggravate them regularly so that they can learn to choose their responses.

Encouragement:

Encourage them to observe. Encourage them to discuss — which involves talking and listening.

And finally, why mud is the best learning medium, ever:

Get the kids to try stuff. Dirty stuff. Grimy stuff. Unorganized stuff. Organic stuff. Life stuff. Unpredictable stuff. Friends stuff. Alone stuff. Fun stuff. Scary stuff. Life stuff.

It’s more than thinking outside the box, it’s abandoning the box altogether.