The Joys of Small Children

I recently gave my four-year-old son a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch—leftovers from the night before. When I put the bowl on the table in front of him, he sincerely asked, “Daddy, is this my soup from last year?” My wife and I enjoyed a good laugh. He meant, “Is this my soup from last night?”

Small children add so much to the world—a very pure form of joy in a world much in need of it. Babies, toddlers, and small children often bring wholesome laughter, happiness, fun, affection, and love into the lives of people they interact with, including parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, and more. Yes, small children are some of life’s greatest joys.

Children Bring Joy for Many Reasons

Their Laughter

Little children can’t help but make adults laugh. A young child’s understanding of measurement, money, time, how words are pronounced, when to copy things adults do or say—more often than not, it all brings about laughter and joy. Recently, my son was playing with a small measuring tape, and I was standing next to him, so he started stretching it out against my leg and said, “Daddy, how tall did you grow?”

I said, “I don’t know. How tall am I?”

He finished measuring and answered with full confidence, “16 dollars!”

Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us that there is “a time to laugh.” Being around babies, toddlers, and small children is often a time for laughter. Perhaps you can think of numerous funny stories about your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or other children in your life. The funniest comedians would get a good run for their money from most small children!

Their Innocence

Another way small children add joy to the world is through their innocence. The world is a tough place, but young children don’t know that yet. They haven’t been touched by the world’s toughness, so they are still naturally innocent, sincere, positive, humble, and joyful. Politics couldn’t matter less to them. (What joy!) The innocence of children and their lack of pride—along with other good qualities, like their willingness to trust and their authenticity—are why Christ said that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Mark 10:15).

Their Happiness

One more way that little ones add joy to the world is by being full of joy and happiness, themselves. The “job” of small children is to play, run, jump, make friends, learn, and explore. Almost entirely without responsibilities or other weight on their little shoulders (though a few chores can be good even for small children, like cutting the grass—okay, maybe not cutting the grass yet), children naturally live by part of Christ’s teaching: “do not worry about your life” (Luke 12:22). Now, small children aren’t exactly seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31), but they usually have the “do not worry” part down. It’s too bad most of us lose that superpower as we get older.

Watching small children enjoy life with happiness and excitement, without a care in the world, adds joy to the world and to our lives.

Joy in Some of God’s Most Special Gifts

Sadly, many today choose not to have children, preferring a pet or even abortion to parenting. If only more people could see the gift and joy of children, as God does. Jesus Christ Himself said, “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). God explains in numerous places in the Bible that children are a joy and a gift from Him. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth” (Psalm 127:3–4). The same is true for grandchildren: “Children’s children are the crown of old men” (Proverbs 17:6).

There’s no doubt that parenting brings many challenges, but the challenges pale in comparison to the rewards. As Jesus said, there is great joy when a human being in God’s image is born into the world (Genesis 1:26–27).

Part of that joy is teaching them about God and His great plan and way of life—one of the most important responsibilities that God gives parents and grandparents: “these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded… that you may fear the Lord your God… you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life…. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:1–2, 5–7).

Joy in Each Moment

Days and nights with babies, toddlers, and young children also include the not-extremely-joyful parts of parenting, which can make the days and nights feel very long. Occasional nights may include crying, feeding, nursing, holding, and rocking—but little sleeping. Some days may be stretched by temper tantrums, whining, sickness, spills, discipline, correction, and less-than-ideal attitudes. But a popular thought by author Gretchen Rubin perfectly captures the feeling of many parents of little ones: “The days are long, but the years are short.”

Many parents of grown children have told my wife and me that they miss the days when their kids were little. The words are meaningful, but what often impresses me even more is how people look at my son like they are looking back in time to when their children were young. Surely older children, teens, and grown children bring different and wonderful joys as well, but there is a particular closeness, intimacy, affection, and bond that parents have with their small children. Perhaps this is one reason why grandparents adore their grandchildren—because they get another chance to delight in that phase of life.

We’re told, “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun…. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:9–10). God wants us to enjoy life and the blessings He gives us, but it’s a short life, so we must enjoy the gifts when He gives them. If your hand finds parenting to do, do it—and enjoy it—with your might.

We must savor the moments with the precious little ones in our lives. Enjoy games of peekaboo and hide and seek, times at the park, and fun in the backyard. Enjoy battling the imaginary monsters in the basement and closet (a current hobby for my son and me). Enjoy how they fully engage and listen to books you read to them or stories you tell them while sitting on your lap. Enjoy picking them up and carrying them on your back or on your shoulders. Enjoy their humor, innocence, imagination, trust, authenticity, affection, smallness, and youth.

As the popular advice goes, there will be a last time for many of those joys, but you usually won’t realize it is the last time. So, enjoy each phase as they grow. Some days will feel long, but the years will fly by. Enjoy each moment with small children, because they are one of life’s greatest joys and one of God’s most precious gifts.