A Sense of Wonder

We call the Child’s observations innocent and pure. But there’s more to it.  The Child and the Child Self can see what we, as fully acculturated adults cannot, at least not easily: the wonder and magic that always surround us. It is nothing short of miraculous. And we can all benefit from that.

The Child has an innate sense of wonder that is independent of adult observation and commentary. They don’t need us to say, “Isn’t that magical!” They see magic in everything. While it’s important to point out what we see and wonder about, it’s more important to witness and acknowledge what is intriguing to the Child. Indeed, adults often rediscover their own sense of wonder through the eyes of children. Capturing moments of awe beyond the fast-paced routines and occupations of daily life is an enriching, healing practice for the Adult and the Child Self. 

My friend, a Rabbi, was teaching a group of parents and young children about the Sabbath traditions. She began with singing and then prepared to light the candles. She then went into an explanation of what the magical Sabbath candles mean—how the flame lights a special place in our hearts and how we can see the beauty and symbolism in fire. 

The children were squirming and distracted. Their little bodies were craving movement. And then the Rabbi lit the candles. From the children’s perspective the wonderous fire emerged in sharp focus while everything else faded in the background. What the Rabbi had to say was perfect for the adults but the children did not need the Rabbi’s talk, they instinctively were filled with the wonder of fire. 

Our Child Self calls out for a return to awe and simple wonder. Many of us, through trauma, pressure, cynicism, or rejection of a religion, through the harshness of suffering, fear for the earth, or our prized rational thinking, have lost our sense of wonder. When we catch ourselves looking at a beautiful sunset and thinking about the pollution that brings out the colors or how we have to move on and do the next thing, we have lost the sense of wonder. This leaves the Child Self in despair because the flow of wonder has been cut off, and we need to give the Child Self permission to be amazed again. 

An optimist from birth, I was lying on the beach with my 20-something friends while a small airplane flew overhead beginning to spell a word with P- E-... I immediately thought the next letters would be A-C-E, “PEACE.” My Child Self’s sense of wonder outweighed my rational mind which would have known that this was an advertisement, and not a symbol of hope for the world. In fact, the word was P-E-P-S-I. As I explained my thought process to my friends, they laughed, joked, and mocked me, and I snapped out of my wonder. As a child, I was always awed by the most minute evidence of goodness in the world and was mocked for that. My sense of wonder survived, but with a twinge of hurt and doubt. If we cannot see what our Child or Child Self sees, the best thing we can do is to protect them. 

We call the Child’s observations innocent and pure. But there’s more to it.  The Child and the Child Self can see what we, as fully acculturated adults cannot, at least not easily: the wonder and magic that always surround us. It is nothing short of miraculous. And we can all benefit from that.

To find the right language to encourage the Child and the Child Self, try sentences that begin with this:

“Wow! Yes! OOOO! Ahhhh!” or a quiet “Hmmmm?” Ask questions, instead of explaining: “Did you see that? What did you see? What was that? What’s next?” And there is always simply, “LOOK.”

What Is and What Is Not

What can I say

To one who asks:

“Who believes in Angels?

What necessity is there for magic?”

To a Child 

what exists

is wonderous.

Words heard in the mind.

Colors of a snail’s shell.

Wind’s sound in the top of

giant trees.

If all this is, then, 

What need is there for what may not be? 

Just to tap the wonder of

what the senses perceive, 

what science has come up with, 

what poets have written,

what children know with their eyes closed. 

I would share it

having no desire to keep it

to myself. 

©D'vorah Horn 2025. We invite you to share this work, but please do not copy any portion without attribution to D'vorah Horn.