During this period—well before they have begun to read and to map the recesses of their own brains—children fill their hours charting their physical environment: figuring out what will bend and what break, from what heights they can jump without injury, and what assorted substances will serve as makeshift writing utensils and surfaces when neither crayon nor paper are at hand. Neither the constraints of adult propriety or the pragmatics of physical science slow them down.

There is refreshingly little disconnect between what the mind of a two-year-old concocts and what his/her small limbs are willing to attempt only seconds later. Perhaps this immediate and direct correlation between thought and action is one of the qualities Jesus so praised in the young ones he called his followers to emulate (Matthew 18:3-4, 19:14).

Such capricious behavior is quite amusing in brief bursts, particularly to the casual bystander, but how often do those of us who regularly deal with this kind of thing find ourselves reacting negatively to what is merely unorthodox, unexpected, or only potentially dangerous?

Matthew O’Callaghan’s Curious George (2006) reminded me that I need to chill.

During the first half of the movie, the young monkey’s shenanigans provide the man in the yellow hat (in the film he’s “Ted”) with adventure after fun adventure.

And then something important breaks, at which point Ted decides he’s had enough of the monkey and sends him back to Africa. I presume most parents can relate to this desire to get away, to at least temporarily remove oneself from the energy-draining responsibilities of childcare. We may not adopt such draconian and permanent measures as Ted’s, but we know what it’s like to so highly value that single breath of air free of unwanted noises, smells, and touches.

This children’s movie reminds us there’s something about the rarified atmosphere breathed by children that we should also be eager to inhale, that their relentless curiosity is a glorious thing. The little monkey tackles life with an enviable passion, and it would behoove the adults among us to follow the lead of the George-like youngsters dashing about our feet. Perhaps if we do, our eyes will begin to discern the same kind of golden glow coming off our kids that radiates from the characters in this highly stylized, skillfully animated film.