As we all know, wisdom is earned with time and life experience. Try explaining that to youngsters when they have questions that are too complicated for them to grasp.
Kids will always be inquisitive but they usually aren't ready to receive answers–especially when the subjects are related to the concepts of romantic passion and death.
The best response to give a child when they ask about a mature topic is what Mrs. Potts (R.I.P. Angela Lansbury) told Chip in response to his observation of the budding romance between Belle and the Beast:
"I'll tell you when you're older."
Curious to hear examples of earned wisdom, Redditor dickdockdack asked:
"What is the single most 'you’ll understand it when you’re older' thing?"
Getting older can be unpleasant over time. But children need not worry about it until they have to."
Unexplainable Ailments
"Health issues. I know I've been genetically lucky, but after 20, random sh*t just starts happening for no reason. It's like Darryl developing a soy allergy at 35, who develops a soy allergy at 35?"
– hey_there_kitty_cat
Kids, when your grade school classmates stop pulling your hair and you stop retaliating mercilessly, you'll learn a thing or two about the people you call "friends."
Value Of Friendship
"That the quality rather than quantity of friends matters."
– pinetreeroad
Sure, Everyone Is Cordial, BUT
"Good people aren't always nice people, and vice versa."
– bibbidibobbidi-bacon
High Stakes
"High school drama isn’t important. Like, at all."
– lalondtm
Kids Are Influential
"Understanding why your parents wanted you to go play with the awkward kid, or why they were so keen to help you make friends."
"It's beyond annoying as a kid when your parents try to guide who make friends with, but most parents instinctually know that bad social habits start early, are hard to break, and can be a real burden when you are older."
– zazzlekdazzle
They Come And Go
"Friendships fading away."
"I remember my dad telling me all kinds of cool stories about things him and his friends did in the past. I even asked him 'why aren't you still friends with these people?' He really did basically say 'it's complicated, you'll understand when you're older.' Even back then I remember thinking 'that's crazy, me and my friends will always be friends."'
"Sitting here now in my early 30's and it really hits home."
– Slowjams
Here are some honorable mentions.
Kitchen Rule
"Why it’s so annoying when you forget to take the chicken out of the freezer."
– steviebergwijn
Convenience Of Zapping Food
"Man, I don’t know how parents in particular survived before the microwave oven. I’m a reasonably not-incompetent home cook, I understand there’s nothing you can do with a microwave that you can’t do without one - but doing without requires a lot more time, attention, and planning ahead, all of which are in very short supply with little kids underfoot."
"Also, unsolicited LPT: use the lower power settings, they do take longer, but they allow the heat to diffuse out of the 'hot spots' faster than it accumulates, so you get a nice, evenly-heated meal, and not an ice salad with lava dressing."
– bonos_bovine_muse
Getting old is a cruel fact of nature.
Loneliness Hits Hardest
"Why elderly people in nursing homes who get no visitors are so lonely and filled with despair."
– Back2Bach
Hardest Decisions
"We had to put my mom in a home because we physically could not care for her anymore. She didn’t want to be there and we didn’t want her to be. But there weren’t any other options."
"My dad was there every day until he got sick and died. My sister and I stopped in a couple of times a week each. The last month of her life I was there every day."
"I hope she knew I did the best I could to take care of her."
– BlondieeAggiee
We currently live in a fast-paced society where youngsters almost always have play dates, birthday parties, county fairs to attend, etc.
This is to be expected as kids are always needing to be stimulated.
Little do they know of the inevitability of doing nothing becomes a luxury to look forward to.
Until then, younglings, live life to the fullest and your reward of chilling out will come when you have learned to recognize it.
