The Amazing Always-Changing You: How You Stay You!
Have You Ever Wondered About Your Changing Self?
Have you ever looked at a baby picture of yourself and thought, “Wow, was that really ME?” You had no teeth, couldn’t talk, and maybe didn’t even have much hair! You looked so different from how you look now. So how are you still the same person?
This is one of the coolest questions we can think about! It’s like a mystery about YOU that we get to solve together.
The Teddy Bear Puzzle
Imagine you have a favorite teddy bear that you love very much. Now imagine that over time, you had to replace parts of it. First a new ear, then some new stuffing, then a new nose, and finally new paws.
After all those changes, is it still your original teddy bear? Or is it a new teddy? This is a tricky question that makes our brains do gymnastics!
Try This: The Ship of You!
This puzzle has been around for thousands of years! Ancient thinkers called it “The Ship of Theseus” (that’s pronounced THEE-see-us). They wondered: if you replace every plank of a wooden ship one by one, is it still the same ship in the end?
You’re Like a River!
Have you ever played near a river or a stream? The water keeps flowing and changing all the time. The water that passes by you right now will be gone in seconds, replaced by new water. And yet, we still call it the same river!
You’re a lot like that river. Parts of you are always changing, but somehow you stay YOU!
Did you know: Your skin is completely new every month! The skin you had last summer isn’t the same skin you have now. Isn’t that WILD?
Your Body: The Great Changer
Your body is constantly replacing its old cells with new ones. It’s like your body is always under construction, building new parts to replace the old ones that wear out.
- Your taste buds change about every two weeks
- Your stomach lining gets a new layer every few days
- Most of your skeleton is replaced every 10 years
- You get a completely new set of skin cells every month
So the you that tasted ice cream last month isn’t exactly the same you eating ice cream today! But somehow, you still know that YOU are the one enjoying that yummy treat!
Body Builders
Your body is like an amazing LEGO creation that rebuilds itself while still keeping its shape. Imagine if your LEGO castle could replace its own blocks while still standing tall!
If Everything Changes, What Stays the Same?
If your body parts keep changing, what part of you stays the same? Is it your memories? Your feelings? Something else?
Let’s play a quick game: Close your eyes for a second and think about your very first memory. Got it? Even though you were so much smaller then, somehow you know that little person was still you!
Memory Magic and Mix-ups
But here’s something super interesting about memories! Sometimes we think we remember something, but actually our brains made it up or changed it a little bit. Like when you think you remember a birthday party, but some details came from photos you saw later!
Whoa! So even our memories aren’t always solid! They can change too!
The Purple Hair Test
Let’s try another way of thinking about it:
- If you suddenly got superhero powers and could fly – you’d be different, but still you, right?
- What if you dyed your hair purple? Still you!
- What about when you’re sleeping and dreaming about being a dinosaur? Your body is still in bed, but in your dream, you might be stomping around as a T-Rex! But it’s still YOU having that dream!
Even with all these changes, something about you stays the same.
Your Never-Ending Story
Maybe the ‘you’ is like a story that keeps going. Like how a story in a book stays the same story even when you turn the page and new things happen.
You’re like your very own never-ending story! Each day adds a new page, but it’s all part of the same big book called YOU! And even if some details change, the main character (that’s you!) stays the same.
The Melting Ice Cream Experiment
Imagine your favorite ice cream. Now imagine it melts a little. It’s changed shape, but it’s still your ice cream, right? Now imagine it melts completely into a puddle. Different shape, same yummy stuff!
You’re like that ice cream – your “shape” might change as you grow, but the essence of you is still there!
The Amazing Butterfly Clue
Did you know that when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, it looks completely different, but scientists say it’s the same creature? It even remembers things it learned as a caterpillar!
That’s INCREDIBLE! So even with a total butterfly makeover, it’s still the same bug on the inside where it counts! Maybe that’s like us – we change and grow, but something special inside stays the same.
Try This at Home!
Ask your grown-ups to show you a picture of when they were your age. They look so different now, but they’ll tell you they’re the same person! Ask them what they think stayed the same about them over all those years.
Many adults say they still feel young on the inside, even when their bodies have grown older. My grandpa says he still feels 25 in his mind even though his body is much older!
Your Special Treasure Box
Imagine you have a special treasure box. Over the years, you might put new treasures in and take old ones out, but it’s still YOUR special box. Maybe YOU are like the box that holds all your changing parts!
And everyone’s treasure box is completely unique! No one else in the whole wide world has exactly the same combination of thoughts, feelings, memories, and experiences as you do. That’s what makes you YOU!
The Seed That Becomes a Tree
Think about a tiny seed that grows into a big tree. It changes SO much, but it’s still the same living thing that started as that seed. A tiny acorn doesn’t look anything like a giant oak tree, but one grows into the other without ever stopping being itself!
Even as it grows new branches and leaves, the tree is always connected to its beginnings. Maybe we’re like growing trees!
The Secret of Being You
Maybe the secret is that being ‘you’ isn’t about staying exactly the same – it’s about changing and growing while still being connected to your past, like a river flowing or a tree growing or a story unfolding!
And isn’t it amazing that your body knows how to do this? Every day you wake up still being you, even though tons of tiny changes happened while you were sleeping! Your body and brain work together to keep your story going.
You’re the Author!
The REALLY cool part is that you get to help decide what kind of story your life will be! Every choice you make, every new thing you learn, every person you’re kind to – they all become part of your special, one-of-a-kind YOU story!
You’re always growing and changing, but YOU get to be the author of your own story. You can decide what kind of person you want to become, even as parts of you are always changing like that flowing river.
Celebrate Your Changing You!
So next time you look at an old photo of yourself or notice you’ve grown taller or learned something new, remember – you’re like that amazing river! Always flowing, always changing, but somehow always wonderfully YOU!
That’s what makes each and every one of you so special! No one else has your exact same river-story. Your YOU-ness is one of the most incredible things in the whole universe! And that’s pretty awesome!
Keep Wondering
It’s okay if big questions like “what makes you YOU” don’t have simple answers. The fun part is thinking about them! Keep being curious about yourself and the amazing, ever-changing world around you!
Your brain might feel all sparkly with these new ideas – and that’s great! Those sparkly feelings mean you’re growing and changing in the most wonderful way possible – by thinking big thoughts!
