Caleb, my 3-year-old, loves astronomy and was recalling the names of all the planets.

It’s been 5 months since COVID-19 forced him out of daycare.

He loved his Montessori daycare and was learning a lot there.

In the past, I’ve heard him recall all the planets correctly.

That’s why I was surprised today when I heard him say, “Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, April, May, June…”

Actually, I wasn’t that surprised. 

It wasn’t that my little astronomer suddenly became an astrologer. 

It’s just that he hasn’t been learning as much at home as he was at school. 

But he had no idea that he was mixing up his sequences and kept going confidently. 

If we don’t invest intentionally in constant learning, it’s only a matter of time before we forget and fall behind.

The bigger danger, though, lies in not even realizing that we’re no longer at the leading end of the curve.