Such an interesting quote: I switched the words around in my head when I first read them, b/c I thought I remembered that L’Engle had written books for older audiences. Then I realized what she had said — I love this idea of children grasping more than we can.
My kids are 10 and 13. They’ve never attended school – and I learn from them every day.
We don’t do lessons; instead, we provide a rich environment and lots of connection.
The other day, my daughter (the 10yo) was drawing and chatting with me, and mentioned the five stages of grief. I had no idea that she knew about them, but she went on to describe them, and, when I asked where she heard them, she said, “Family Guy or American Dad or Futurama – oh, it’s all over the place.”
Maybe that’s why kids are drawn to shows like these- they don’t shy away from satire and hard stuff.
My kids have a sibling who died in infancy (my oldest was 22 months; youngest born a year later). They’ve accepted death as part of life their whole lives, and they understood its permanence at much younger ages than many experts say children can.
I think Madeleine L’Engle, whose books I loved as a child, understood this about children. It’s often the adults who want to protect children, but what children want is the truth, so they can devise their own ways of dealing with it.
From that perspective, it makes sense that Charles Wallace–the youngest character in A Wrinkle in Time–is also the wisest. Interesting train of thought, shanjeniah: thanks for sharing your experiences. (I homeschool my kids, too–and it is amazing how much they can learn through exposure.)
And thanks for finding this quote, Deborah. WQW is such a thought-provoking event — I couldn’t resist the acronym, Deborah 🙂
I agree with you that children can think about life on a much deeper level than we realize. I read a book several years ago where the author had talked with children about their spirituality and it showed that kids do have their own beliefs, not related to formal religion. I am sorry about the loss of your child.
Oh that’s a beautiful quote!!! I now know why the first chapter I wrote was for childrens literature. I must revisit it and breath some life and words into it. Thank you for the inspiration. 😃
What an excellent quote! Love it! Thank you!
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Thanks Colleen! Appreciate it! I am getting practice using PicMonkey.
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Good job! 😀
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Looks like a fun theme. I may just join you.
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This quote has always made me laugh…
“The first draft of anything is shit.”
― Ernest Hemingway
Good post by the way!
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Thank You! Yes it is encouraging when established writers admit that they write more than one draft! Like your quote too.
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Thanks Deborah.
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Wow, great quote! Never heard that before and love it!
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Such an interesting quote: I switched the words around in my head when I first read them, b/c I thought I remembered that L’Engle had written books for older audiences. Then I realized what she had said — I love this idea of children grasping more than we can.
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Maybe kids minds are more open to possibilities and imagination of what can happen. More open to new ideas.
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Sandi,
My kids are 10 and 13. They’ve never attended school – and I learn from them every day.
We don’t do lessons; instead, we provide a rich environment and lots of connection.
The other day, my daughter (the 10yo) was drawing and chatting with me, and mentioned the five stages of grief. I had no idea that she knew about them, but she went on to describe them, and, when I asked where she heard them, she said, “Family Guy or American Dad or Futurama – oh, it’s all over the place.”
Maybe that’s why kids are drawn to shows like these- they don’t shy away from satire and hard stuff.
My kids have a sibling who died in infancy (my oldest was 22 months; youngest born a year later). They’ve accepted death as part of life their whole lives, and they understood its permanence at much younger ages than many experts say children can.
I think Madeleine L’Engle, whose books I loved as a child, understood this about children. It’s often the adults who want to protect children, but what children want is the truth, so they can devise their own ways of dealing with it.
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From that perspective, it makes sense that Charles Wallace–the youngest character in A Wrinkle in Time–is also the wisest. Interesting train of thought, shanjeniah: thanks for sharing your experiences. (I homeschool my kids, too–and it is amazing how much they can learn through exposure.)
And thanks for finding this quote, Deborah. WQW is such a thought-provoking event — I couldn’t resist the acronym, Deborah 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you that children can think about life on a much deeper level than we realize. I read a book several years ago where the author had talked with children about their spirituality and it showed that kids do have their own beliefs, not related to formal religion. I am sorry about the loss of your child.
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This is a lovely quote. I had my head buried in my NaNo novel, and didn’t know this was happening! Might have to play with this idea….
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Oh that’s a beautiful quote!!! I now know why the first chapter I wrote was for childrens literature. I must revisit it and breath some life and words into it. Thank you for the inspiration. 😃
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You are welcome. I thought it was inspiring as well if I ever get to writing something other than my blog 🙂
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It’s amazing what happens when we open ourselves to that kind of wisdom. 😊
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