They say children keep you young

 They say children keep you young, and at first I didn’t believe it.

But now I know.
It’s in the way they make you laugh until you cry,
the way they remind you that puddles are meant to be jumped in,
and songs are meant to be sung loud off key and all.

It’s in their wild giggles and sleepy cuddles,
the messy days and late nights that somehow feel like magic.

They don’t just keep you young.
They keep you alive.
They remind you that growing up doesn’t have to mean losing your joy.