This line, which has since taken the shape of a proverb, really occurs in the famous poem ‘My Heart Leaps when I Behold” by Wordsworth, the great poet. It implies that the qualities and characteristics shown by a child often indicate what the child is going to be as a grown man. Childhood is a reflection of future personalities. The habits, traits, and qualities of a man are usually the development of the habits, traits, and qualities he had as a child. A careful study of the characteristics and qualities of a child can help us foretell his future prospects.

“The Child is the Father of Man” has proven true in many cases. See the example of Shivaji, who, during his childhood, loved so much to hear the stories of famous heroes of the Ramayana and Mahabharat and later became a great warrior himself. Michael, the famous sculptor and painter, during his childhood used to make drawings on the pots, easels, stools, and other things belonging to an old painter. The old painter said, “One day this boy will beat me”. A young Italian lad, Titian, was very fond of painting pictures but had no paint to color with. He was such a genius that he made his own paint. Nelson, the daring naval commander of the British Navy, showed his traits of courage and fearlessness during his childhood.

Many more examples like that of Florence Nightingale and Macaulay can be quoted to prove the veracity of the proverb that “the child is the father of man, but we can find hundreds and thousands of other examples where the childhood of a man did not reflect anything about the grown-up personality of the man. Sonia Gandhi never thought to entangle herself in the political arena. In her childhood, no one could imagine that one day she would be in a position to become the Prime Minister of India, the world’s largest democracy. Though she did not accept the position of Prime Minister.

Lal Bahadur Shastri never showed any such trait in his childhood. He was an average student from a poor and simple family. George Bernard Shaw was known as a hopeless dullard. Mahatma Gandhi was inclined to become a rich barrister. Shelley, the great poet and writer, never showed such traits during his childhood. Amitabh Bachchan, the great superstar of Bollywood today, didn’t show such traits and qualities in his childhood.

In spite of apparent exceptions, it is generally observed that the characteristics and qualities developed during childhood are reflected in the mature personality of a man. Circumstances can change a person’s life. Fate and coincidence play a great role in developing the qualities of a person. Childhood ordinarily reflects the caliber of a person, but in changed circumstances, with several coincidences, and destiny, which is called predetermined, can change everything. An average child can reach the highest position, and a brilliant child may have to survive in rectitude. An old proverb, “As the twig is bent, so the tree will grow”, endorses the saying, “The Child is the Father of Man”.