By JEFFERSON WEAVER

You can learn a lot from a little kid.

I will admit that, for the most part, small children frighten me. I think it’s because, without trying, I tend to scare so many of them. I always figure one of them, one day, is going to be frightened enough to jump me before I can jump him (even if I had no intentions of doing so).

That simple, straightforward logic is one of the things we could learn from little kids, namely that if a problem is big enough to be overwhelming, you can do no wrong by boring straight in and solving it, rather than forming committees and focus groups.

I have always said that the American electoral process could be improved by placing all prospective candidates in a room with little kids and dogs. If a little kid or a dog doesn’t trust you, then you won’t get my vote. Kids and dogs are smart that way.

Little kids understand the importance – not to mention the entertainment value – of dirt, puddles of rain water, and big cardboard boxes.

Little kids know if they do the wrong thing, they could get swatted on the backside.

I find it too bad that we can’t swat many adults on the rump a few times, since they obviously didn’t get swatted enough as young’uns.

Little kids may flare up and fight, but they’ll be best friends again in a few minutes. They are quick to forgive, but if someone is too mean, they’ll quickly find themselves frozen out until their manners improve. Little kids, unlike too many grownups, don’t tolerate hypocrisy.

Little kids understand salvation in the simplest terms, without arguing about whether Baptists or Methodists or Catholics are right or wrong.

Little kids understand there are a lot of interesting things hiding in grass and clouds. Once they get too old, they too often quit noticing grass, clouds, and anything that’s not broadcast on a computer or TV screen.

Little kids have a well-developed, unyielding sense of right and wrong. All my friends who have kids agree that their young’uns know when they do something they shouldn’t.

One even expects to be popped on her behind, and tells on herself. She’ll still cry, but she knows if she does something wrong, ‘fessing up is better than getting caught.

A fellow I know once corrected a little boy who was singing the wrong words to a Bible school song.

The little fellow looked him dead in the eye and said, “My words sound better. Those words don’t work right. My daddy won’t know what I’m singing.”

The grownup thought about it, and the boy was right. Hence, they changed the words to the song, and everyone thought it was one of the best ever.

Little kids know they should be able to trust their daddies to catch them if they jump in a cold, sparkling farm pond.

They know their mommies will help them feel better if they catch a cold or scrape a knee.

They don’t get caught up in the psychological reasons why mommies do some things better than daddies, and vice versa. They just know who does a better job, and turn toward them.

Deep inside, I think little kids know there are only so many butterflies to chase, dogs to wrestle, bream to catch, balls to throw, and flowers to pick on a bright spring day. Therefore, they live each moment to its fullest, rather than worrying about what is going to happen next.

Little kids could teach the late Saul Bellow a whole lot about the concept of carpe diem. There’s no way a grownup could begin to seize the day like a little kid.

Little kids know and accept that some dogs bite, some cats scratch, and sometimes bad things happen.

They know these things happen, but they don’t want to sue anyone because bad things happen. They just want to wipe their tears away, blow their noses, and keep going, because little kids know there’s a whole lot of fun stuff to do, and only so much time to do it.

They know better than to waste time on people who won’t play fair, people who do bad things, or dogs that bite.

They see no sense in singing a song if the words don’t work right.

Sure, they need adults to guide, protect, feed, nurture and care for them.

But at the same time, I feel like we could learn a lot by letting a little kid guide us every once in a while.

Jefferson Weaver is a staff writer at The News Reporter. He may be reached via e-mail at jeffweaver@newsreporter.biz or by telephone at 642-4104.