Forever Young: 11 Reasons Why You'll Always Be A Kid At Heart

Being a kid at heart is not a question of age, but more so a question of spirit. You can be a child by enjoying small things and being happy with almost anything.

Don't mistake "being a kid at heart" for immaturity. As adults, we learn to become more mature and responsible individuals. Ironically, I believe one of the biggest signs of maturity is choosing to be a kid at heart.

Part of me melts every time I encounter children because I observe their carefree, happy, innocent nature, from which adults could stand to learn. Here are 11 reasons why you are a kid at heart:

1. You always smile.

I absolutely adore when a kid smiles at me. It's highly contagious and impossible for me not to smile back. Children smile because they are truly happy, as their lives are not complicated or filled with much responsibility.

They find joy and pure happiness in the simplest things, and they share those giggles with everyone. Charlie Chapman said it best: "A day without laughter is a day wasted."

2. You forgive freely and know every day is a fresh start.

Have you ever noticed that children have the uncanny ability to see every day as a new beginning? They forget about the past easily and don't hold grudges.

When two children fight, they are upset for that time period, but then, the very next day, they are best friends again. As we grow into adults, this becomes tougher and we find it difficult to forgive and let things go.

It's never too late to forgive and start all over.

3. You believe and dream big.

In a child’s world, nothing is impossible. The ability of children to believe sparks faith and optimism to never give up. Many adults lose this ability because we tend to see things for how they were or are, rather than how they could be.

If we made an effort and believed in pursuing our dreams, we would be more likely to achieve them, even if those dreams seem nearly impossible to accomplish.

4. You are carefree and fearless.

Children have the most amazing ability to be carefree and fearless. They are limitless and have no boundaries because they are not yet confined by the fear of shame or failure; they do things because they just don't know any better.

As we grow into adults, we tend to worry or fear the unknown and what others may think of us.

Embrace what life has to offer in a carefree and fearless manner so you can be unstoppable.

5. You are active.

I remember when I was a little kid, I played hopscotch, jump-roped to "Cinderella, dressed in yellow, went upstairs to kiss her fellow," ran around the grass with the sprinklers on, had mud fights and did cartwheels for days. I found joy in doing these everyday activities without even thinking of them as forms of exercise.

To be honest, I still do some of these things and for the same damn reason — it's fun.

6. You take pleasure in little things.

When I was a kid, I would get so excited every Sunday when the ice cream truck made its way around our neighborhood. But, it wasn't the ice cream I was enthusiastic about; it was more so the song that made me giddy.

Every time I heard the truck's tune, I ran to my dad, asked him to open up the garage, sprinted outside and busted out crazy dance moves to my jam.

My dad would then proceed to buy me my favorite rainbow popsicle, which I found fascinating because my tongue turned different colors after licking it.

Those simple things made me so happy. As we grow into adults, we take things for granted and stop taking pleasure in the little things. Why do we stop noticing the simple things that have the potential to bring us joy?

7. You love unconditionally.

The best thing about children is their love. They could care less about your flaws; they don't care what you look like, who you are, where you are from or what you do because their love is limitless.

It's true what Mahatma Gandhi stated:

The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children.

8. You use your creativity and imagination.

I remember losing myself in creative activities as a child. I drew pictures for hours, played with clay, built spaceships and rockets out of LEGOs, pretended I was on the "Lizzie McGuire" show, and then bust out, "Hi, my name is Sheena from 'Lizzie McGuire' and you're watching Disney Channel!"

For some reason, as we get older, we get busier. We stop seeing these creative activities as meaningful and worthwhile. The truth is, creativity is the reason our world is so advanced. One should never lose his or her imagination.

9. You have endless curiosity.

As a kid, I remember continuously asking my parents questions: Where did we come from? Why do people die? Where is God? What does this mean? I was curious but clueless.

Children know they don’t know everything, so they ask a million and one questions to gain knowledge and understanding. Answer this: Isn't asking questions better than not asking any questions at all?

10. You ask for help.

I remember when two boys bullied me in second grade. Call it tattletaling if you must, but for me, it was simply asking for help. Children always ask for help because they don't know what they are doing or how to handle certain situations.

As we grow into adults, we sometimes look at asking for help as weakness. Always feel empowered to ask for help, whether it be on how to do something or how to get through something. We aren't alone; we all need help every now and then.

11. If you fall, you get back up and run.

When a child takes a tumble, he or she might need to be comforted for a bit, but then, the child quickly recovers and runs off to play.

As adults, we may be hurt, but as long as we pick ourselves back up and move on, the bruises begin to finally heal.