WHAT is it about children that just brightens up our day? Is it their innocence? Is it their unbridled joy, their looking at the world with wide-eyed wonder?

Sure, there are times when you want to tear your hair out — tantrums in the toy store, screams of “NO!” — but overall, kids just brighten up our spirits. When I hang out with my kid cousins, I always feel more relaxed. Gone are the conversations on current events, the stress of work, how money’s so tight. Instead, talks center around what colors to use for Pooh (yup, I think I’ve seen Winnie in purple), how high you can kick a ball, how milk chocolate tastes better with strawberries than dark chocolate.

There was one time I was really stressed out at work. My officemate’s 5-year-old daughter was at her Mom’s desk, doodling. We’d talk sometimes and joke around, but during that day, I was super grouchy. While I was in the middle of a mental block, the little girl suddenly made an appearance by my side. She smiled at me and gave me a drawing of two fishes. The big one, she said, was Tita Toni. The little fish was her. And then she called me her best friend. My bad mood disappeared on the spot.

This made me think: What if the world leaders surrounded themselves with children? Our everydays would be so much brighter. Maybe if more of us got doodles from kids — works of art, works of heart, then maybe, just maybe, the world would be a happier place.