At two and a half, my eldest child was obsessed with garbage trucks. She loved the sounds they made, the way they worked, and how they lumbered down the street. She would watch out the window whenever one came down our street. She wished for a garbage truck of her own to play with. And when she opened one as a Christmas present that year, her eyes shone with joy.
Child psychologist Alison Gopnik has a word to describe my daughter’s reaction: awe. Gopnik observed the same phenomenon in her own grandson. She notes that young children take in the world around them with a sense of wonder often missing for adults. They notice the amazing qualities of seemingly ordinary things like garbage trucks: their incredible sounds, amazing actions, momentous size, and unfailing reliability.
Gopnik explains that children generally view the world as something to explore, whereas adults often focus on how they can exploit it. Kids see the magical qualities of machines and adults consider their utilitarian purposes. The difference is partly a function of different responsibilities. Parents and caregivers have to make sure the garbage and recycling get taken away, and they see garbage trucks as a means to that end.
Children’s fascination with the world doesn’t begin and end with amazing machines. A walk from home to the corner store can become excruciatingly long for the parent of a young child. Every sidewalk crack, scraggly weed, caterpillar, neighborhood cat, and piece of discarded trash beckons to a young explorer. Kids observe and wonder about everything, resisting adult attempts to hurry them along.
Spiritual and religious communities sometimes refer to this fascination as a ‘numinous’ experience. Children sense the mysterious nature of the world and are drawn to explore further. They intuit that what they see around them is just a fraction of all the things that are and could be. They appreciate the richness of life and all its possibilities.
Gopnik does caution against over-idealizing children’s awe. A hungry, fussy, or anxious child will behave more like an exploiter than an explorer. After all, trying to get one’s needs met is a biological and evolutionary trait. But when kids feel safe and cared for, they have the capacity to take in the world as an awesome place to be.
An even better research finding is that experiences of awe encourage further exploration. Being amazed by how ants work together to move a leaf generates interest in what else small creatures can do. Gazing in awe at a tall tree prompts questions about what might be above the branches. And watching a garbage truck spin a bin in the air and then release it suggests that machines are incredible inventions that make the world a better place.
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