A LITTLE boy asked his mother where he came from, and also where she had come from as a baby. His mother gave him a tall tale about a beautiful white-feathered bird. The boy asked his grandmother the same question and received a variation on the bird story. Outside to his playmate he said: "You know, there hasn't been a normal birth in our family for three generations."

Kids! I think they're awesome. And I mean that quite literally. They may say some funny things that result in me declaring their 'awesomeness' with all the enthusiasm of the average teenage American, but when I say they are awesome, I mean they actually leave me speechless in awe.

But it's not just what kids say, it's who they are and how they came into being. Don't turn the page! This isn't about to turn into a 'birds and bees' article. What truly astounds me is how they develop in the early stages of their existence. From the moment of conception, 46 chromosomes with 30,000 genes combine to determine all the physical characteristics of a baby: gender, facial features, colour of hair, eyes and skin. Even more amazing is that the way a child thinks and feels is already in place in that genetic code.

The most quoted Bible passage on this subject is Psalm 139. Here the writer talks about how God 'knits him together' when he was in his mother's womb, how God has created the writer's inmost being and how he believes that he is fearfully and wonderfully made.

While initially that may sound like poetry, or even fantasy, there is a strong resemblance in the description of the formation of a child in the womb. The arms begin to form at about three weeks and the fingers from six weeks on. The legs and feet develop a little later and from two months, the fingerprints are already engraved in the skin.

Wow – The process is mind-blowing. Recently, I have thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of holding a child when only days old (hence the topic!). Watching her grow over the last few weeks has been quite incredible, and I know that as that continues I will be amazed again and again at how she develops. But I've learned that there can be times when we cease teaching our children and they begin to teach us.

Robert Fulghum wrote: "Most of what I really need to know about how to live, what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten.

"Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

"These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together."

It may sound simplistic, far out, or even ignorant, but wouldn't life be richer if we remembered some of these timeless truths? Jesus said, "Unless you become like little children, you won't enter the Kingdom of heaven." Maybe Fulghum has got it right...

Paul Nixon is an Associate Pastor at The Potter's House and these are his own views.