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For Kids or Anyone Who’s Ever Been a Kid | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

Around the release of my new children’s book “Into the Uncut Grass”, I decided to sit down with some kids to discuss what being a kid is like from their perspective, what adults often get wrong about being a child, and whether it really…

Trevor NoahhostUnidentified kidsguest

Oct 17, 202451mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

55 min read · 11,395 words

0:00 – 1:07
Kids Vote on Who Cries More
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Who do you think cries more, kids or adults?
2. SPSpeaker
  Adults.
3. UKUnidentified kids
  Adults.
4. SPSpeaker
  Kids.
5. SPSpeaker
  Adults.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Let's have a vote. Okay, Kana, you say?
7. SPSpeaker
  Adults.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Adults. Charlie?
9. SPSpeaker
  Adults.
10. UKUnidentified kids
  Kids.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Kids.
12. SPSpeaker
  Babies.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Babies.
14. SPSpeaker
  Oh.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Ooh, Juniper, the contrarian. Okay. Throwing in babies. Mateo?
16. SPSpeaker
  Um, it would have to be both 'cause, like, um, parents cry when somebody dies.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
18. SPSpeaker
  And then kids cry when they lose something.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Ah, okay.
20. SPSpeaker
  So I would have to say both.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay. I see.
22. SPSpeaker
  I would say babies.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Babies.
24. SPSpeaker
  Babies.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Ba- ... Damn.
26. SPSpeaker
  Babies.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Babies. We started off going after adults-
28. SPSpeaker
  My mom said I couldn't say that
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and then we said, like, babies.
30. UKUnidentified kids
  Because-
1:07 – 5:44
Seeing Childhood Through a Kid's Eyes
1. TNTrevor Noah
  This is What Now? With Trevor Noah. [upbeat music] And so for today's episode, I wanted to have a conversation with you about children, but not like children through the lens of an expert, and not children through the lens of an adult, but ... No. This is one of, uh ... This is, this is a topic that I love, um, because I don't think anybody's truly an expert in it, even though some people say they are.
2. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Right? And it's like kids, parents, and how we perceive their realities. And, and, and the reason I say nobody's really an expert is because people often talk about parenting. I mean, you know this better than anyone as a parent, Christiana.
4. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, everyone's like, "This is a good parent. This is how you should parent. This is what you should parent. Parent, parent, parent, parent." But I always think to myself, we don't often think about, like, kid, like kid up. Does that make sense?
6. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Being a kid is really weird because in your world, you have a life, you have priorities, you have, like, your own, like, schedule even.
8. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  And then there's this other human being who just happens to be bigger than you-
10. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... who basically tells you that your shit is nothing. Have you ... Like, my favorite thing, have you ever seen, like, a little ch- small child doing something with, like, a box, right? Like, just, like, a box, a cardboard box, and they're, they're folding it, then they unfold it, then they squash it, then they unsquash it, and then they move it around, then they put things in it, then they take things out of it, then they drag it around the room, then they ... And then you come and you're like, "Yo, we gotta go, you know, we gotta go somewhere." And the kid is like, "I'm working."
12. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Have you ever seen the kid's face?
14. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
15. UKUnidentified kids
  Yeah.
16. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  The kid always has a look-
18. SPSpeaker
  Yeah
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... like, "Yo, I'm in the middle-"
20. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  And it's funny how ... I always think to myself, it's funny how as, as adults, we think the kid's doing nothing.
22. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  But I often think, what if we were in, like, the office, typing up emails.
24. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, t- uh, "Dear sirs and ma'ams, uh, to whom it may concern, please revert ASAP," or ... Imagine if while you were doing that, a giant came into your office-
26. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
27. UKUnidentified kids
  [laughs]
28. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and then, like, lifted you up from your chair and was just like, "Time to go."
29. UKUnidentified kids
  [laughs]
30. TNTrevor Noah
  And you'd be like, "No. No."
5:44 – 11:00
When Parents Stop Looking Like Superheroes
1. SPSpeaker
  But, like, my dad would get excited to, like, a dad thing, like a milestone thing.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
3. SPSpeaker
  'Cause I think sometimes as men, that's the only time that we're like, "Yes, I'm important right now."
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Right. Yeah.
5. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
6. SPSpeaker
  "Right now is when I'm dad."
7. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
8. SPSpeaker
  And, and like, and we need this moment. And so I went up to my dad, and my tooth was loose, and he ... hops up. He's, like, so excited. He hops up, and he goes, and he leaves the room, runs out of the room, grabs some string, right?
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Ooh. [laughs]
10. SPSpeaker
  And then grabs some string and ties one side of the string to my tooth and ties one side of the string to my door. But he's not talking to me.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
12. SPSpeaker
  So he's not, he's not saying anything.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  He's not explaining anything?
14. SPSpeaker
  He's like, "Be still," and then d- and then runs to the door and everything. And then, uh, he looks at me.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
16. SPSpeaker
  And he nods as if we've had a conversation.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
18. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
19. SPSpeaker
  This man nods at me, like, "And it's time," right?
20. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
21. SPSpeaker
  And so then he nods, slams the door, but he didn't measure, so it's just too much string.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  So now the door just slams.
23. SPSpeaker
  So we just watch the door slam.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
25. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
26. SPSpeaker
  And I was like, "Uh..." And I'm, s- s- string hanging out of my mouth.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
28. SPSpeaker
  And I'm like, "Uh, is, was something supposed to happen?"
29. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
30. SPSpeaker
  He was like, "Ah, oof, okay. Mm. Let me... Uh-oh." And then he went to the bathroom. 'Cause then he knew he couldn't surprise me now.
11:00 – 13:41
Parenting as a Gamble: Nature, Nurture and Lack
1. TNTrevor Noah
  I was talking to Esther Perel about this the one day. We were talking about, like, traumas and childhoods and, uh, you know, the psychology. And it's really amazing how no matter how you raise your kid, there will always be the lack-
2. SPSpeaker
  Hmm.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  That was created.
4. SPSpeaker
  You know? Yeah.
5. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  And as a kid, there will always be... So there are some people who are in therapy because their parents gave them too much freedom. They could do whatever they wanted, and so they never felt protected-
7. SPSpeaker
  Mm
8. TNTrevor Noah
  ... or they never felt like there was structure, or they never felt... But then there are some people in therapy because they're like, "My parents, like, they gave me a rigid schedule-
9. SPSpeaker
  Mm
10. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and I, I couldn't do what I wanted, and I had to be home at a certain time." And, and, and I, it made me wonder. I was like, is there a single kid out there who's just like, "Yeah, this is going well"? And if your kid thinks it's going well, are you still a good parent?
11. SPSpeaker
  I don't know. I feel like it's a, it's so much like gambling. It's like, like, uh, you, you have the kid, and you are taking a gamble that you can raise a good person.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay.
13. SPSpeaker
  So not a killer.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Right.
15. SPSpeaker
  Right?
16. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
17. SPSpeaker
  And then you're playing craps. So you just throw the dice down.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  Right.
19. SPSpeaker
  And the dice are gonna bounce, and they're gonna bounce, they're gonna bounce. And you could call some of the bouncing trauma, but the bounce is also how you get your end result.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  You get the, you get the end numbers.
21. SPSpeaker
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
22. SPSpeaker
  And then when you look at the thing, that's when everybody's like, "Ah, good parent," or like, "Ah, crap parent."
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Crap. Ah.
24. SPSpeaker
  Oof. But sometimes I'm like-
25. SPSpeaker
  You know?
26. SPSpeaker
  ... have you ever met- Some, some parents, 'cause you know, like, I think the kid is the kid. Like, you just, you, this thing arrives in your life.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
28. SPSpeaker
  This is how I found-
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm
30. SPSpeaker
  ... and they are the way they are. Born this way, as Lady Gaga says. And, uh-
13:41 – 18:24
Introducing the Kids Panel and What Kids Think Jobs Are
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Every now and again, I, uh, like to get up to some mischief in the world. Uh, Christiana always accuses me of doing something, and in this case, yes, I was doing something. I wrote a children's book. It's something I've always wanted to do, 'cause I love children's books, and I loved them, and I still read them, by the way. I think they're, like, the best books. Uh, the other ones have too many words and too few pictures. I wrote a children's book, and I thought for this episode, let's talk about kids, but not just talk about them, let's talk to them. So I sat down with a group of kids who are experts at being children, by the way. I don't know if people know this. They are the real experts of being children. [instrumental music] We're gonna continue this conversation right after this short break. [instrumental music]
2. SPSpeaker
  In Spanish it doesn't mean love.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  When are we starting the podcast?
4. SPSpeaker
  Right now.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  When you start now? Hi, Daddy. Oh, yeah. Make the right scroll. All right, coming in. Coming in. I'm squished. All right. I'm squished. You're squished? I didn't even ... I mean, there is space. No, actually she's moving. Nola's moving. Welcome to the podcast. Welcome, Nola. Welcome, Eden. Welcome, Matteo. Welcome, Juniper. Welcome, Charlie. And welcome, Kana. Let's, let's start with, uh, with you, Eden. How, how long have you been a child for? Seven years. Seven years. [laughs] Seven years? Wow. That's like a real professional... How long do you plan to be, uh, like, a child? Do you have, like, a long term goal? How- 100 years. 100 years? I like that. I like that. So, like, so I started writing this kids book. My first instinct was talk to, like, adults and talk to- Mm ... you know, experts and what- 'cause, like, the book is really about, like, how a child sees their relationship with their parents- Mm ... and vice versa and, and the internal monologues they have, 'cause that's what I had as a kid. Mm. And I think every child does. But then I was like, "No, I'm just gonna talk to kids." Like, I, I got a full panel of children to have conversations with. And can I tell you, these little things are pretty genius. They came in with some insights. They came in with some ideas. And, uh, Josh and Christiana, I know you got to watch us, uh, hanging out together, and I was shocked- Mm-hmm ... at how much, like, information we don't give children. Mm-hmm.
6. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Does this make sense? Mm-hmm.
8. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, you'll be shocked at how many kids are sort of just, like, left in the dark-
10. SPSpeaker
  Yeah
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... about everything. So I'll, I'll talk to kids. I go, "Hey, uh, do you know what your parents do for a living?" And they're like, "What do you, what does a living mean?" [laughs] [instrumental music] Actually, let me, let's talk about jobs. Let's talk about jobs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, I would love to know. How do they work? Wait, wait, let's, let's, so let's go down the line. So, um, Charlie, do you know... Wow, what's happening here, Nola? Um, she's being a- Just getting a- ... cuckoo head. Uh, she's being a cuckoo head. No, you just get, just got hot, and then you were like, "All right." No. So wait, wait, Nola, so pay attention. [sighs] Okay. I, I wanna know about jobs. So we're gonna go down the line. So, so let's go Nola. Do you know- Hi, Nola ... do you know what parents do at jobs? Do you know what adults do? This. What, what's this? What we're doing now? Yeah. So you think they, like, hang out on a couch- Yeah ... and then talk about life? Yeah. Huh, okay. [laughs] Okay, okay, okay. Eden, what do you think people do at a job? Uh, just saying scientists, because my mom is a scientist. Like, what, what does she te- She teaches science. She teaches it? Mm-hmm. So she stands at the front of the classroom. Oh, so you guys know teachers, so you know what she does. Yes.
12. SPSpeaker
  Yes.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah. Ah, okay. Matteo, what do you think adults do at their jobs?
14. SPSpeaker
  Um, I know my dad. You know those, like, people that are on the computers at the airport?
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
16. SPSpeaker
  Yeah, that's what my dad does.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, dope. He's one of those guys.
18. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, I've seen those people at airports. You would see, like, the kids at, like, for instance, if I say, like, "What do your parents do for a living?" Mm. The majority of them put their fingers up to their faces- Yeah ... and then mimed typing, but, like, depressed typing. [laughs] Okay, so let me ask you, what do you think adults do at work?
20. SPSpeaker
  Oh, web.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs] What is that?
22. SPSpeaker
  Doing boring stuff and typing on a computer.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  They drink their coffee and typing like this.
24. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  And none of them were, like, smiling- Yeah, yeah, yeah ... and being like, "Oh, my." Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's just like everyone had, like, a, a- Mm. Yeah. You know, it's like you, you would think, like, their parents were, like, in a chicken coop for humans- Mm-hmm ... pecking away at keys. Severance. [laughs] Yeah, it really was. Like, that's what... And I was like, "Wow." Like, I, I don't know. Like, Josh, like, when, when you were a kid, what did you think of your parents that you now, like... 'Cause we get to an age where it starts to sort of consolidate, like, this information. Yeah, yeah. What did you think of your parents? Like, you, like, I've met your mom, but, like, what did- Yeah ... like, what did you think of your mom?
26. SPSpeaker
  I mean,
18:24 – 23:42
Defensive Parenting and the Lost Village
1. SPSpeaker
  I, I, it's tough because I, the things I thought about my mom when I was little, I still think about my mom in, in a, in a really sincere way. Like, I've ... I see how, um, she isn't always the most patient in life-
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes
3. SPSpeaker
  ... but she's very patient with people.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
5. SPSpeaker
  She's very loving and generous. And so, so then I'm ... I look at m- my mom as this, when I was a kid, this infallible version of generosity and, like, understanding.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
7. SPSpeaker
  And now as an adult, I look at her as this very fallible version of generosity and understanding.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow.
9. SPSpeaker
  So it's like none of the ... I, I feel like I saw my mom for who she was and all the qualities that she possesses-
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah
11. SPSpeaker
  ... but I just didn't have the right interpretation of them because I didn't have enough, like, world experience to understand what was happening. Um, so like I remember there was somebody, my mom gave someone a ride one time or something like that, and all I could think in my head was like, "Why was this weird person in our car?"
12. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
13. SPSpeaker
  'Cause we ... D- and then you, 'cause you tell me not talk to strangers, and then you pick the weirdest stranger-
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Off the street, yeah
15. SPSpeaker
  ... to g- to g- to give a ride somewhere and, you know, and w- and it's still to this day, my mom is very like, "Be careful when you go here. Watch your stuff," all, all the stuff like that. But then there'll be these moments that are just these, like, I don't know, I guess moments of inspiration where that thing supersedes almost every lesson that I'm taught to a certain degree.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17. SPSpeaker
  You know? N- I don't think anyone will dispute that being a parent is a hard job, but it's weird that if something is a hard job, wouldn't it mean that, like, most people wouldn't be good at it?
18. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
19. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, interesting.
21. SPSpeaker
  So then, but then we see the defensiveness of parents or people around parents or what my parenting or what you telling my child-
22. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
24. SPSpeaker
  ... what that means about me, that you-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah
26. SPSpeaker
  ... as a stranger reprimand my child. And so then we, we end up in this place that I think we've been in for a while, where your entire childhood is the extent of your, of your parents' awareness and experiences.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah.
28. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
29. SPSpeaker
  And if no one else is allowed in-
30. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
23:42 – 30:27
What Kids Wish Adults Understood
1. TNTrevor Noah
  I've been trying to figure this out, but I need your help for this. Trying to understand why grown-ups don't seem to understand kids.
2. SPSpeaker
  [gasps]
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay? I need your, like, what do you think it is? Okay, Nola, yes. 'Cause grown-ups are boring and kids are fun. So kids are fun- Yeah ... and the grown-ups are boring. Yeah, because they just sit around. You think that's why they can't figure kids out? Yeah.
4. SPSpeaker
  Mm.
5. SPSpeaker
  They just sit around. If you want to get chocolate, they say no, and they're boring.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  That is boring.
7. SPSpeaker
  [laughs]
8. TNTrevor Noah
  And you're right.
9. SPSpeaker
  And chocolate is fun.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Chocolate is fun. Cana, like, what do you think or what do you wish adults understood more about the life of a child or a younger person?
11. UKUnidentified kids
  I feel like- Especially parents do a really good job. I feel like there's two types of adults. There's, like, parents and then people without kids. And then parents, I feel like sometimes they, like, need to live their dreams through their kids, so they don't, like, live in the moment, and they, like, go see, like, the future. So, like, everything right now in your life has to be, like, perfect. Like, you can't be out late. You have to, like... There's so many rules to, like, protect you for the future, so they don't live in the moment. And I feel like adults without kids who hang out with kids are, like, way more chill because I guess they're not, like, your responsibility. But I wish, like, adults in general could just, like, take a breath and just be, like, let kids go because what happens, happens.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
13. UKUnidentified kids
  And, like, they figured it out, and they turned out fi- Well, I mean, some adults [laughs] didn't turn out the best.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
15. UKUnidentified kids
  But pers- like, mostly, adults, like, turned out fine, so I think they, I wish they could just understand to, like, take a step back and, like, let me be responsible for myself 'cause I have, like, all the key factors to do it.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  [paper rustles] So when I was sitting down with the kids for this episode, every child felt like they were being held back by their parents-
17. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm
18. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and their parents' ability or inability to cater to their, like, play needs or their-
19. SPSpeaker
  Mm
20. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you know? What was illuminating for me was watching young people process the world through a very logical lens, by the way.
21. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  They were like, "Oh, man. My parents, the, these people are tired."
23. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  "These people are, like, they're tired. Like, they're always, like, thinking about the future, and, like, they don't, like, chill, and they don't hang out, and they're not fun." And unanimously, kids were like, "These people don't understand us."
25. SPSpeaker
  Mm.
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Just all the kids. All the kids were, all the kids felt taken care of. All the kids, like, none of the kids there was like, "Ah, I think my parent is, like, you know, really a, a terrible par- they're not doing a good job of"
27. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  But they all were like, "Man, this person doesn't understand me." But I wonder, like, when you were a kid-
29. SPSpeaker
  Mm
30. TNTrevor Noah
  ... did you feel like your parent understood you? Did your parents get you, or what was the thing that they got of you?
30:27 – 34:22
Kids Aren't Doing Wrong, They Need Space
1. SPSpeaker
  It's, it's also gotta be very difficult. I know that I am not a parent, so I have not felt this, like- At least it's what has been described to me as this, like, life altering experience of, of, like, having the kid, and then the kid being a part of you, and you seeing parts of yourself in the kid and everything. So I understand that when there's a little bit of a, um, whatever, wheth- whether you wanna call it problem or deficiency within the child, whether it's a behavior thing-
2. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm
3. SPSpeaker
  ... or just, like, anything, even in the body and stuff like that.
4. SPSpeaker
  Mm.
5. SPSpeaker
  I understand the denial that some parents even go into.
6. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
7. SPSpeaker
  But I think that, like, to what you're saying, it's, like, a really great example is, um, a lot of the fighters that I follow basically got into trouble in school for fighting, but not fighting in a malicious way.
8. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm.
10. SPSpeaker
  They just wanna fight. And they'll be like, "Hey, let's fight."
11. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
12. SPSpeaker
  Like, you know what I mean? And so, you know, they would get into trouble in this way that could have so easily been solved by the parent instead of being like, "No, my son's not gonna be a fighter." Like you might say, "You got a lot of extra energy."
13. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
14. SPSpeaker
  "And you clearly like wrestling with your friends."
15. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
16. SPSpeaker
  "Why don't we, why don't we get you in wrestling?"
17. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
18. SPSpeaker
  And now, all of a sudden, there's, like, not only not a problem, it's like this person does better.
19. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  So here's one thing I'll say to that, that I've realized, and I know this is ... A lot of people will hear this and go, "Ah, you can say that because you don't have kids-
21. SPSpeaker
  Mm
22. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and because ..." But I do believe my imagination allows me to think of what isn't, and therefore, it could be. I don't think, and I know this is a, this is a very broad statement, I don't think there is anything that a child is doing that is wrong. It's just we have not created the space for it in their lives. Do you know what I mean? Like, anything. Like, to your point of, like, wrestling.
23. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Think of it. You, you go ... A kid, your kid is, like, always, like, fighting with other kids at school, and to your point, not malicious fighting. Not, we're not talking about teenagers with, like-
25. SPSpeaker
  Yeah
26. TNTrevor Noah
  ... issues now.
27. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  Take that child, put them in a fighting thing, and all of a sudden you've given them structure. Now they are a, quote-unquote, "fighter".
29. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  And it's correct.
34:22 – 42:24
If You Could Change the World: Kids' Answers
1. TNTrevor Noah
  So I, I have, like, a really important question to ask all of you, and this is about the world. If you could change anything about the world, what would you change? So Cana, what would you change?
2. UKUnidentified kids
  World hunger.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow. Okay.
4. UKUnidentified kids
  'Cause I feel like that's our biggest problem. Like, obviously there's, like, war and stuff.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
6. UKUnidentified kids
  But, like, I feel like everyone needs a good meal, and then they'll be happy. 'Cause if everyone's hangry, then, like, nothing's gonna work.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, you say that, and it's probably true. You find a lot of wars are fought because people are hangry and-
8. UKUnidentified kids
  Yeah.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, I don't know about you, but if I don't eat, I could start a war. So end world hunger. Okay. Charlie, what would you change about the world?
10. UKUnidentified kids
  Um, I think I would, like, change, uh, make it so that everyone's full, but also, like, some people don't have a home. And we wouldn't necessarily give them a home, but just, like, a place to stay where they would be safe from ... I don't know.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, I love this. Okay, okay.
12. UKUnidentified kids
  Yeah.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  So end world hunger, and then give everyone a place to stay. Juniper, what would you do?
14. SPSpeaker
  Um, I think that, like, you know in, like, Monopoly or, like, Life or something, you know how, like, you start with enough money to survive?
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes.
16. SPSpeaker
  I think that everybody should be able to, like, at least they can s- choose how they spend their money, they can choose how it is, but there's so many people who, like, work super hard, and they don't, like, they just don't ... It's, like, hard. It's too hard. So I think that, um, everybody should at least start with enough money to live.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Hmm.
18. SPSpeaker
  That way, and they can choose how they wanna earn their money. Like, but at least they should be able to s- have money. Like, like, I know I'm just talking a lot about money, but I feel like that's how the world is, like, based off of right now.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  It is. It is. You're not wrong.
20. SPSpeaker
  Um ...
21. TNTrevor Noah
  So, like, in Life we should give everyone a little money so they can start playing the game-
22. SPSpeaker
  Exactly
23. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and it gives them a chance. Okay.
24. SPSpeaker
  Life is a game-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes
26. SPSpeaker
  ... and there's no way to win it, but you can survive in it.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, wow, damn, that's deep. Wow. Uh, not damn. River, that's deep. Wow, River, that's deep. I'm so glad you brought that up, because I was proud, even though I didn't know these kids that we- I was proud of what they were saying, but I was sad.
28. SPSpeaker
  Aw.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  I was really, really sad. Because I was, I was hoping for- Just crazy.
30. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
42:24 – 46:35
Who Do You Get Your Spirit From?
1. SPSpeaker
  I, I don't know if this is as much of an African thing as it is a Southern thing, so I just wanted to-
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Which, by the way, is the same thing.
3. SPSpeaker
  It is, it is very much the same.
4. SPSpeaker
  It is. [laughs]
5. TNTrevor Noah
  It's the same thing.
6. SPSpeaker
  It's, it's so close.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Can I tell you a story? Sorry to cut you off.
8. SPSpeaker
  No, you're good.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  That's one of my favorite things, is how much I f- when I meet people from the South-
10. SPSpeaker
  Yeah
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... I feel like we had the exact same childhood. I feel, and I mean, we don't wanna go to the dark reason why.
12. SPSpeaker
  Sure, sure, sure.
13. SPSpeaker
  Sure.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  So we're not gonna go there.
15. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
16. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  But, like, literally, when you talk about your mom, I'm like, "Oh, that's my mom."
18. SPSpeaker
  Yeah.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  When you talk about your parents, I'm like, "Yeah, that's my parents." Like, yeah, but carry on.
20. SPSpeaker
  Yeah. Well, basically, there's a thing that a lot of Southern people have Um, that I wonder, you know, who the person is for y'all. Because I've been told by a lot of people, I have a, I have a grandfather I never met, right?
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Mm-hmm.
22. SPSpeaker
  Passed away before I was born. And so it's not as if I could have been nurtured by him or grown up around him, but so many people in my life have told me I remind them of him.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
24. SPSpeaker
  And it's almost like his spirit a little bit.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, we completely have that.
26. SPSpeaker
  And I'm wondering who you get told is, like, your spirit person.
27. SPSpeaker
  So my parents are hyper Christian.
28. SPSpeaker
  Okay.
29. SPSpeaker
  So they've moved away from the reinc- which is a big thing in, like, Igbo culture, like, you know, and Yoruba culture. There's, like, names that signify... Like the name, one of my closest friend, her name is Yewande.
30. SPSpeaker
  Mm.
46:35 – 51:45
Ask Your Kids How You're Doing
1. TNTrevor Noah
  So before we-
2. SPSpeaker
  Am I-
3. TNTrevor Noah
  ... before we go, so before we go, there's two important things that I, that I, that I really need your help figuring out.
4. SPSpeaker
  Really, I got them both.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  What do you think adults struggle with understanding about kids?
6. SPSpeaker
  I want to go next.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, what do you wish they understood? Okay, yes, Juniper.
8. SPSpeaker
  Okay. So [clears throat] I think that, like, adults sometimes don't understand, like, kids' feelings in, like, the way that, like, popularity at school and, like, when, like, something happened, like, my mom was just like, "Read." And I was like, "No." And, like, in other things too, like, I found out that I didn't get into something that I really, like, worked for. And then, um, they were like, "Go read a book." And I was like, "That's, it's kind of, like, more than that."
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Aw.
10. SPSpeaker
  But, like, parents are also, like, can be very understanding. But other times, like, even as early as, like, the next morning, you can, like, go to sleep, and then the next morning it feels like they don't understand you at all.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay. So if I'm hearing what you're saying, you would love to, to live in a world where parents spend a little more time trying to understand what their kids are going through.
12. SPSpeaker
  Yes.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Because maybe for them they make it seem like it's a small thing, and they, like, they sort of get over it quickly. But then kids might still be dealing with it.
14. SPSpeaker
  Exactly.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  [gentle music] Yeah, I think, uh, that was, that was probably my, my favorite thing about hanging out with these kids, was it made me, it made me realize that kids are a lot more perceptive than we think. And if we use that as a resource, genuinely, I don't even mean this in, like, a me, me, world-
16. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you could, like, build a better world.
18. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, even as a parent, kids can tell you things about yourself that you need to work on.
20. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  It's amazing how they will, in the same way, funny enough, animal train- like, dog trainers will tell you there's no such thing as a bad dog, there's only a bad owner.
22. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
23. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
24. TNTrevor Noah
  I think kids tell you who you are-
25. SPSpeaker
  Yeah
26. TNTrevor Noah
  ... whether you like it or not.
27. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
28. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  They'll just tell you. I wonder how many parents ask their kids, "Hey, what do you think I could work on? Uh, what do you think I could spend a little more time... Where do you see my failings?"
30. SPSpeaker
  Mm-hmm.