Being around children most of my waking hours and enjoying it, I watch how they interact with the world. The words I would use to describe this would be whimsy and wonder. This got me to thinking about how the word “childish” is often used as adults to describe something that is immature, poorly thought out, or ill advised. The use of language here is very important as I believe it speaks to intent. The intent here I believe is almost one of jealousy in that most “adults” have had these feelings washed out of them over time after being beaten down by life. The artists we love as a people or a culture all have denied this and still hold pieces of their inner child. This isn’t to say that you should remain willfully ignorant to things or inexperienced. It is also taken too far with infantilzation in adults. Like most things, it is a spectrum and balance is required.
The perspective of children is uninhibited, endless and beautiful. Childlike should be used as a compliment, not an insult.