The power of young minds..

...never underestimate it.

    Last year, I took an idea from Jeff Foxworthy and decided to head to my old elementary school to get some advice for a "Younger Years" centerspread I was creating for my school newspaper. Although it started as just a sidebar expected to generate a few "awwww"s, it actually turned out to be pretty insightful. Insightful in the fact that these small, "innocent" (depending who you talk to I suppose) minds had life figured out in the simplest way. It's amazing when I think about young adults my age and older who still don't know this stuff. Here's what Ricky Eberle, age 9, Rebecca Burk, age 9, Rachel Davis, age 9, and Mackinzee Dunning, age 8 (and a half, she made sure I noted) had to say. You may want to write this down:

“The worst thing about being older is that you can’t get away with some of the stuff you could get away with when you were younger.”

“If your friends are being mean you should try to be nice to them but if they’re still mean, you should stay away because they’re probably not real friends.”

“When you’re younger you should try to have fun as long as you can because soon you’ll be busy and working.”

“Sometimes people can be really mean but if you can ignore it, you should.

"It's safe to wear your seatbelt in a car. Also, little kids have to sit in the back."

“Be nice to your friends. If they do something bad, tell someone. If they hit you, don’t hit them back.”

"You should always try your hardest at whatever you do."

    Simple? Yes. But tell me how many adults you know that still can't seem to get it right.