Childhood is like a game of football

As an adult, it’s sometimes hard for me to understand young kids. I mean, where do they get all that energy? Why don’t they listen to anyone? Why don’t they just want to sit down? Don’t get me started on going to sleep…

Was I like this too? Probably. I must have been like that too. But I don’t remember. It’s a bad thing we don’t usually remember our young days. I mean around 2-4 years. It’s mostly foggy and we might just remember some small things. Small pieces of a broken mirror.

What I do remember is how I liked to play football. As a child. I still do. But I don’t really play that much anymore. It’s a game where you don’t really stop, you always chase the ball. And you always run. If you stop, it’s just for a second to change direction. And off you go again. You don’t feel hungry. You don’t feel cold or hot. And if you do, you just ignore it.

Running, screaming, laughing. You don’t really listen to anyone even if everybody is giving you indications or asking for the ball. You just have fun.

Does it feel familiar? That’s my best analogy for how I see childhood. Through my own eyes. One thing that stands out is they can be like this almost all day long. While a soccer game usually takes 90 minutes.

What about you, how do you see it? What would you compare it to?

If you like this, you can check out my book for similar content.

Side by side is a book about the first years of parenting. Both the beauty and the hidden side of parenting. The long nights and troubled days. Parents who try and fail and then try again. And how your little one puts a smile on your face and you forget everything just in time to start a new challenging day.  It follows the first 2 years of a new dad and his journey, side by side, along with his son.