Never Underestimate The Capabilities Of Children

Drawing by one of the children (via Columbian army) 

On Friday, four children, aged 13, 9, 4, and 1, were rescued after surviving for 40 days in the Amazon jungle of southern Columbia. The propellor plane in which they had been traveling with their mother crashed, immediately killing the two pilots. Their mother was severely injured and died four days later.

The children found themselves on their own in the jungle with only a bag of cassava flour, clothing, a towel, a flashlight, two cellphones, a music box and a soda bottle. Before dying, their mother told them to "go away" and try to rescue themselves, so they did.

As members of the Huitoto indigenous group, the children had knowledge that they used to feed and shelter themselves. The older children obviously cared for he younger. They were malnourished and ill upon rescue, but they had fended for themselves in the wilderness, without adults for 40 days. Details are still emerging about exactly how they did it. I hope the books and movies that are sure to come help them to rebuild their lives.

It's a tragic story. I can't imagine how frightened and alone they felt and how the experience will impact them going forward. In the face of it, however, these children showed themselves to be courageous and resourceful beyond anything most of us can imagine for children this young. Indeed, few of the adults reading this would have fared as well as these children. In a world that increasingly infantilizes and minimizes young children, that imagines they cannot manage without constant adult supervision, that sees them as accidents waiting to happen, we see here how wrong we are to underestimate their capabilities.

There is no doubt that these children are beyond relieved to back in the arms of adults, to eat "bread a sausage," and to wear proper shoes again. Reports are that they are drawing pictures as a way to process their experience and to help them recall the details of what they have been through. But one thing is clear: their parents and community had prepared them for this. They had the knowledge and wisdom, the education, to know what to do to survive in the jungle without proper supplies or adults. And they did it as well, if not better, than most of the adults in the world.

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"This inspiring book is essential reading for every family choosing a preschool, every teacher working with young children, and every citizen who wonders how we can raise children who will make the world a better place." ~Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids

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