The New Kid Learns Through Stories

The stories we tell become the way we understand ourselves and the world.

Human beings are natural storytellers.

From the time we're very young, we begin asking questions.

Why did that happen?

What does this mean?

Who am I?

What kind of world do I live in?

The New Kid answers those questions by creating stories.

Sometimes those stories help us.

Sometimes they limit us.

A child who repeatedly experiences encouragement may begin telling themselves,

"I can figure hard things out."

Another child who repeatedly experiences criticism may begin believing,

"I'm just not good at this."

Neither story appeared by accident.

Each grew from repeated experiences.

The New Kid is constantly looking for patterns.

It takes what the Old Guardian has experienced and weaves it into meaning.

Over time those stories become expectations.

Expectations become beliefs.

Beliefs begin influencing the choices we make.

One of the most powerful things we can learn is that stories are not facts.

They are interpretations.

Some are remarkably accurate.

Others were created when the body was trying its best to make sense of limited information.

As adults, we have the opportunity to become curious about those stories.

Instead of immediately believing every thought, we can ask,

Is this story still true?

Does it fit the evidence I have today?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes the answer is no.

When our experiences change, our stories can change too.

That doesn't happen because we force ourselves to think differently.

It happens because the body gathers new evidence, and the New Kid gradually builds a new understanding.

This is why healing often feels like discovering a different story rather than forgetting the old one.

The New Kid is always trying to make sense of the evidence it receives.

When the evidence changes, the story can change.

And when the story changes, entirely new possibilities become imaginable.