This paper provides theoretical and empirical support for the view that children play a large and often underappreciated role in adult development. Fifty parents and teachers were asked to discuss occasions when they learned something valuable from a child or when a child changed them in some significant way.
Adults reported that children can cause them to a shift their values or priorities, b integrate memories or experiences previously disowned or repressed, c become more creative and cognitively flexible, or d look at the world with more wonder, awe, or curiosity.
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