If we were to trace all the lessons from our parents, the list would be endless. But what about our kids? Beyond the infinite love, joy, meaning, and wonder they provide, can we also learn from them?

Here are the 10 life lessons I learned from my children:

1. Cheer yourself on in the third person 
2. Be goofy
3. Admire good deeds, not money
4. What matters most is time with loved ones
5. Feel every emotion
6. Love unconditionally
7. Live in the present
8. Ask questions fearlessly
9. Build and make a mess
10. Believe

Many of these lessons get lost as we grow up, replaced by their adult counterparts: preparation instead of presence, self-consciousness instead of playfulness, skepticism instead of belief. We’ve learned to turn love into a transaction. We stopped cheering ourselves on and instead became our own harshest critics. And we’ve grown to repress our emotions, instead of learning from them. We may have forgotten, but not our children.

They remind us that our time, not money, is what matters most. They show us that building and making a mess are part of life. And whether it’s the Tooth Fairy (or Tooth Mouse), Santa Claus, the magic of blowing out birthday candles into a wish, or the way they look up to their parents and grandparents as the biggest, brightest, boldest, and bravest, loving us unconditionally despite every flaw—they teach us the power of belief.

Of course, not everyone has or wants children. But if you’re fortunate enough to have children in your life, their magic, presence, and perspective can guide us back to what often matters most.