Keep your inner child alive

All of us have an inner child alive and well within us. And most of the time, we seem to work hard to keep it from emerging by bribing it with candy or something else to keep it satisfied. But why do we do that? What’s wrong with unleashing our inner child? Why do we tend to ignore how much of a child is still in all of us? Many say that the inner child never wants to hurt anyone and always comes from a place of love. Maybe it does. I don’t know about you but looking back I can see that childhood was one of the significant periods of my life.

Care-free and trouble-free

When I was a child, I seemed to have all the time in the world. Vacations and summers lasted forever. Delicious food was always on the table and clothes “magically” appeared in my drawers clean and folded. I had few troubles, except perhaps for school, where believe it or not the teachers actually expected me to pay attention, behave and work. My child’s world consisted of Santa, the tooth fairy, Peter Pan and unicorns, all of which were real, of course. I knew little of the crazy ways of the world and liked it like that. It was a great time in my life. But as I grew older, things somehow changed.

Adulthood

I soon began to realize that growing up was inevitable. I was going to have to learn how to become a mature and responsible individual. So, I plunged headfirst into learning the ways of adulthood (some might argue that I’m still learning that), stifling my inner child as best I could. But I soon began to realize that being an adult full time can be difficult as well as dull. Suddenly, it seemed, I had a family to support, bills to pay, people to please and tasks to complete. Being an adult was not nearly as much fun as being a kid. There was many a time that I longed for the life of a child again. But we don’t have to feel that way. All we need to do is summon our inner child.

Channeling your inner child

Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself, to laugh at yourself and to enjoy it when others laugh at you. Unleash your inner child. Take a break from it all and channel your inner child. It’s surprisingly uplifting and refreshing. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not recommending that you behave like a child or ignore your responsibilities. It’s as simple as not taking yourself so seriously. Try to be lighthearted and have some fun. Childhood has some beautiful traits: joy, creative thinking, wonder, curiosity, trust, playfulness and openness. It’s therapeutic and reduces your stress levels. According to vulnerability expert, Brené Brown, “When we value being cool and in control over granting ourselves the freedom to unleash the passionate, goofy, heartfelt and soulful expressions of who we are, we betray ourselves.”

When was the last time…?

When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably, danced wildly when no one was looking or made up with a friend with whom you had a fight only five minutes ago? When was the last time you were free-spirited, did not judge others and did not fear being judged? Do you remember? We should keep our inner child alive and let it out to play every now and then. Our inner child can be an asset to us as adults. For example, it can remind us that we were born not to quit. It took us many months to learn to walk and talk, but we didn’t quit. How many adults quit when they should keep soldiering on? When you awaken your inner child, it will never let you quit in life; especially on essential things like your relationships or your dreams and ambitions.

Wives and Walt Disney

I remember my first wife saying and my second agreeing with her that “I grew to be 10, and then I just got bigger (but not much bigger).” Maybe she was on to something. Walt Disney once said, “That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.” Stop and think about it. It doesn’t matter how we look physically, we can embrace our youthful energy and spirit, hold on to the magic and become ageless in our hearts and souls. Give it a try. What have you got to lose? As for me, well even though I’m into the fourth quarter of life with no “time-outs” left, I don’t plan to sit back and just “run the clock out.” I intend to have fun and let my inner child run free! What about you?