By LaToya Dawkins

Preschoolers are innocent. Their lack of life experiences leaves them untainted by the negativities and the biases of this world. Their emotions are pure and come straight from the heart. Though their mood changes from time to time and they are easily distracted, when they are sad they display sadness and when they are happy they show happiness. Preschoolers are a joy to be around because they are energetic and in their world, there is little to trouble them.

Last week at drop off one of my preschoolers said to their father, "I love you daddy." Then they wrap their little arms around their father’s neck and gave him a tight hug. It brought tears to my eyes because the exchange was not provoked or driven by extrinsic motivation. It was pure. It made me ponder the difference between adult love and preschool love. What can we learn about love through their example?

Spring time is a season wherein things that were once dead come back to life. Spring brings beauty, color, and music. Preschoolers love makes me think of spring. They can make you laugh when you're sad. Their laughter can bring color to a dull day and for most preschoolers there is always a song in their heart. How often do we genuinely smile or laugh throughout the day? Daily, is there a song in our hearts? Do we ever bring color and beauty to someone else's day? We could learn a thing or two about love from our preschoolers. It would keep us young and beautiful.

As spring continues to blossom during this season, let's look to our preschoolers to learn a few things about love and life. 1 Corinthians 13, a famous verse read at weddings says, “Love is patient, and love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails." preschoolers come closer to understanding this wisdom than we do. Let us learn from them for a change.