I am Child. I awake to a world of color and shapes and textures. It is all new: new sounds (hear that chirp?) and new smells (mmm, can I have a taste?) and new feelings (I’m jumping up and down!). I want to run to the edge of that view, To hug the softness of that cloud, To touch the coolness of that stream, To dance in the rainbow.
But I am held back. Calm down. Be careful. Quiet! It’s all so confusing. What can I do? What can’t I? Will they laugh? Will they yell? It’s so hard being Child.
I am Child. I am protected by those who love me. They keep me safe. They grab me before I run out into the street. They take my hand so I don’t fall off the cliff. They put a band-aid on my carelessness. They hold me when I cry. They feed me. They clothe me. They teach me.
Yet there’s so much I don’t understand. So many words. So many no’s. So many questions inside of me. I want to learn and know and do. Can I help? Sometimes I’m kept on the outside. Sometimes I’m pulled into the middle. Sometimes we just play. Being Child has its perks.
I am Child. As I grow, some of the wonder fades. A box grows up around me. Slowly, I turn into the shape of that box. They like me when I fit snuggly into the box. They get worried when I try to climb out. I want to fit in the box. I want to do what they do. I want to talk like them. I want to be like them.
Even so, there are still times I just want to be me, To do something different, To show what I’ve got, To make my name special. So I go for it. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fall on my face. Will they criticize or praise? Will they ignore or pat me on the back? Will they walk on by or help me to stand back up? This big, bright world is very puzzling for Child.
I am Child. I have no control. I don’t choose my family, Nor where to go, Nor what to eat. And sometimes terrible things happen, Things I cannot speak about, or even think about. The world becomes darker. I act out. Few understand.
Nevertheless, they say I am resilient. And perhaps I am. But for how long? I crawl into bed at night, Hoping they will be there to tuck me in. My imagination kicks in. What could be in the dark? Hope or fear? But I'm told it's time to go to sleep. For I am Child.
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