Young Child Writing Not So Idiotic, But Actually Quite Astounding
Talented Medium writer Alex Cooper’s young childhood self wrote some very profound, striking pieces. The memorabilia I especially liked from Cooper’s article was about the sad loss of his goldfish. The young child really did have some profound widsom though at the end of this short piece: “But have a happy Chris[t[mas.”
He knew at a young age how to follow the wisdom from Eccleslastes: “For everything there is a season, a time to every activity under heaven (3:1–2).”
Speaking of Christmas and holiday themes — one of my best creative works came from my eight-year old self(right at 30 years ago — -goodness). Maybe in the next few months I will dig this story and illustrated work out for the holidays. The title of the piece was “The Worst Sleigh Ride For Santa.” Wow, what a blockbuster children’s hit, haha! But it had all of the workings of the most epic Santa Claus fiction — the North Pole, the sleigh, reindeer, etc. Basically, Santa Claus and his reindeer got in a huge sleigh accident(though I think everything turned out okay in the end as usual). It still sticks out in my mind because it brought all of my creative juices flowing.
Aren’t those unedited, unfiltered pieces from our innocent childhood years often some of the most enchanting, wonderful, and amazing works of writing? They may not capture the most profound and timeless maxims relating to philosophy, spirituality, or the human condition. They may not match up very well with spell check. However, they can best capture sparks of the human imagination from when it was flying to unlimited heights and show surprisingly profound insights about life, human experience, and matters related to what is at the heart of existence.
Whether or not children are now writing a lot more with computers, smart devices, and other technology devices rather than scribbling away with the old pencils and pens, much about the underlying reality of writing in the youngest years remains unchanged. So much is constant regarding the creative and learning journeys children embark upon as they learn to read and write. Not much is different regarding children’s discoveries of their very own sense of self and the sheer innocent joy from exploring boundless worlds as they craft stories, narratives, and other formed written works. These actions of reading, writing, and creating works are among the most numinous of human activities. They are worlds so sacred and rich with endless wonders, among innumerable other worlds that the whole of which the whole of humanity is always just beginning to partake.
