Grown up Angst
I have reported previously on the nine year old that resides inside me. She is a lovely youngster and I love her completely. She is dealing with a lot at times and keeps on going. What a kid. If everyone could remember their own inside kid, that would help so much. The grown up self would have a lot more patience in dealing with their self-child, even taking time to make sure that their fears were addressed, trying their best to create creative opportunities and joyfully tucking them in at night on time so they get enough rest. But I am sure many grown ups forget their inner child existed and just think thoughts about being adult. You know, the one with the credit card and keys to the car.
Grown up Spontaneity
This is usually a stretch for most of us because we think being an adult means not being playful. Whoever started that thought should be banished from the playground. Even thinking of our lives as playgrounds would be radical due to the seriousness we place on being adults. If we had the ability to run towards our friends that we just saw yesterday, get totally excited about the prospects of roller skating or drawing cats all day long, that would go a long way to finding our little selves. But we are hiding in plain sight.
Grown up Thoughts
Your friends usually receive most of your kindness. We cherish our friends and polite society expects us to be civil and assist those we have chosen to include in our lives. Our families sometimes get that too but occasionally there are only crumbs left after we have completed the duties of a socially responsible adult. We know that there is a good chance that our family members will still love us. After all, they are family, right? Making space for everyone can be difficult with those busy lives we lead. If you consider how your inside child would react, it may give you a different response. Without the mental weight of life as a burden, being there for a childhood friend was the expectation that insured you remained tight. Responding to family members also occurred, because we still relied on them for room and board.
Appreciating agelessness
The grown up me has a lot of responsibilities, just like the grown up you. But I still wish I could skip down the street or play wiffle ball on the lawn without attracting my neighbors’ attention. I get to do that in my safe zone and show my kid-like wonder to those closest to me. When I act like a kid, they can rationalize that my silliness gives them permission to give in to their desire to play games after a dinner of ice cream and say yes when the first instinct was to say no. We can appreciate following the lead of a friend who wants to join a kickball game without figuring out how to counteract the remarks of others. And my childishness provides a reciprocal process. The wisdom of the children around me is heard and has weight.
What does your inner child sound like when they are speaking to you? Can they whisper to you that it’s alright not to always answer like you think an adult should? Look into your eyes in a mirror and see through those same eyes you had since birth. Do they really see you?
