Jenya Lemeshow
Kids' Wisdom
2000 Spring | Jenya Lemeshow
I believe that there is an innate wisdom present in the perceptions and words of children, if we take the time to listen. Children offer a fresh look at the world which can be as insightful as the wisdom that comes after living a long time. Their experience of the world is less jaded by social constructions, less shaded by inhibitions. When I started to ask some children I know questions--What does it mean to be a kid? When is somebody not a child anymore? When is somebody old?--the children reminded me of the importance of learning, playing, jumping around, and dreaming, among other things. In the following interviews, I honor the wisdom in the responses of six children living at Lost Valley Educational Center in Dexter, OR. From simple questions, simple truths unfold.
