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Climbing the Slide
And other intelligent things we stop doing as grownups.
Back when my littles were extra little, I bought a small plastic slide for my one-year-old. It was just the right size for her to start learning about climbing the stairs and sliding down. But shortly after we got it, I noticed her doing something unusual: she tried climbing up the slide backwards, up the smooth, slippery part.
As it turned out, it wasn’t that unusual. When I went to the park, I started noticing how common it is for kids to try to climb the slides. I started to wonder, What’s the deal with the slide climbing? What is it about kids that makes them want to climb slides anyway?
If you’ve ever tried to climb a slide (or watched a kid do it) you’ll know that it’s hard work. If you don’t have grip it can be nearly impossible.
So why do kids attempt something so hard when it’s clearly so much easier to climb the stairs and slide down the slide?
The real reason we should be asking is:
When did we, as grownups, stop trying to climb the slides?
Children have an inherent curiosity to push their own limits and see what they can do. They’re hardwired to do it, because it’s how they learn. If it weren’t for that curiosity and desire to explore, they would never learn to crawl, or walk, or run, or…
