What is innocence?

I was listening to a cool song by k-os the other day, "The Ballad of Noah," and he talks about overcoming struggles as a child, and how his innocence was deterred, but his inner strength prevailed, and now his innocence is returned. And that got me thinking about how if I could return to that child-like innocence, maybe life would more enjoyable, and I wouldn't filter every moment through the experiences of the past.

But there is a problem. The same experiences that chipped away at my innocence are the same ones that hide innocence's true nature from my soul. What is innocence, and does it have to be child-like?

I define innocence as child-like because it is the purest form. Children have no choice but to be innocent, because they have not experienced the type of pain that causes them to not trust. So is innocence trust? And if so, of whom or what?

I think trust is a key element, but it needs to be more like a type of blind trust, wherein you are not making a conscience decision to trust, you just do because that is your nature.

I think another element to innocence is adventurous curiosity. I initially thought curiosity alone was enough, but there is the opportunity to be complacently curious, and there needs to be activity and intention behind actions. A baby doesn't sit on the floor and wait for someone to put something in it's mouth, it crawls around putting anything and everything in it's mouth.

So far, innocence to me involves a trusting soul that is open to experiences, and a sense of curiosity that actively seeks experiences. (Notice the commonality in those 2 traits?)

This is all for now. I really want to hear what you all have to say, especially those of you with children, as you have had the chance to see pure innocence in your own flesh and blood, and what impact that has had on your own innocence.