21 Things You Forgot About Being a Kid: a partial guide to better understanding our children and ourselves

Did anyone ever say to you, "Enjoy high school... those are the best years of your life!"? Remember the feeling of panic that came over you as you thought, "You're kidding. This is it?"

Chances are, though, you are saying the same kinds of things to your own kids. When did you drink the Kool-Aid?

Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened do us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was, and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

Philosopher and filmmaker Dr. Rick Stevenson has conducted over 5500 in-depth, personal interviews with kids from six continents over the past two decades.

Rick Stevenson is leading the practice of guided verbal journaling to unlock self-discovery, emotional intelligence and personal narrative empowerment. He has filmed over 5500 in-depth interviews with kids and teens from 12 countries as part of a longitudinal project using his StoryQ method of inquiry dedicated to raising emotional intelligence. He is a creative and passionate combination of award-winning filmmaker and Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University. He has directed, produced, and/or written twelve feature films and 100 hours of television, working with artists such as Robert Redford, Hugh Grant, Christopher Plummer, Kiefer Sutherland, Meg Ryan, and Patrick Dempsey. He's an author, a public speaker, a husband, and a father of four who splits his time between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia.