Children: The Smartest People in the Room

At five years old, on the morning of Yom Kippur, my daughter was asked to apologize for anything she may have done wrong over the last twelve months. Always the pensive defendant, she paused slightly and replied, "I'd like to apologize for always being right."

Damn. Using the tactic of reverse logic, she managed to elevate her good standing. I couldn't think of any retort. I suspect God didn't either. Now, this certainly isn't the first time I've pointed out the intelligence of my eldest child. In fact, my wife and I have been doing it for years. But we're far from unique.

All parents are prone to showcasing their children once in awhile. We marvel at their first steps; the first vestige of uttered words. They put a knot in their shoelaces and we alert the media. They begin to read and we prepare to inform the Guiness Book of World Records. If these exploits occur at a markedly early age, we even label them as "gifted"

So, with all these little geniuses running around, you would think that we must be breeders of highly functional human beings and living in a world of universally successful, intellectual people. And then...they grow up.

Something horrible happens, as if a science experiment has suddenly gone awry. When the metamorphosis is complete, we're instantly overrun with cashiers who can't make correct change, surgeons that operate on the wrong leg, politicians and other public figures who think that they can be unfaithful to their spouses without being exposed, and customer service representatives who don't focus on customers or service.

For years, we've heard the expression "from the mouths of babes." The translation being that kids speak their minds with complete honesty and no remorse. It's a refreshing tactic that disappears in adulthood where we strive to be politically correct, we tolerate mediocrity in lieu of calling someone out, and we provide tenure for teachers that should righfully be unemployed.

It's really amazing if you think about it. As children, we all learned how to walk, talk, read and become self-sufficient. As adults, many of these same children should be denied a driver's license, shouldn't be allowed to procreate, or even hold a job. And we deal with scandals like Enron, the dissolution of banks, the lack of healthcare, and the Prius. It's not too impressive from a crew that was once labeled as brilliant for being so precocious in elementary school.

Maybe Tom Hanks had the right idea in "Big." Let the children run the company. They're the smartest people in the room.