Over the past several years we’ve been urged to rediscover and embrace our ‘inner child’ – have we not? So I ask you, when were you last in touch with yours?
Would you sing a song loudly, blow bubbles, dance the jig and twirl if a friend asked you to? Have you done anything spontaneous in the past week?
I don’t even need to take the quiz to find out if I’m in touch with my inner child. (But I may need to take one to find out if I’m in touch with my adult).
“You can discover more about a person
in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
~ Plato
Yesterday I found myself really ‘into’ a game of Chutes and Ladders. That exciting up and down board game for little people…that game with simple rules and instructions (just my speed)… the game where, if you land on ladders you can race ahead.
But watch out that you don’t chute back. You only have to go down the slide if you’ve done something stupid. Like eating ten out of twelve chocolate chip cookies… like pretending to read your history book when you’re actually reading a comic… like skating on thin ice.
So yesterday I’m watching to see that Seth (age 6) is not cheating on me. When he realizes that, if the spinner lands on a certain number, he’ll end up on a chute, he tries to discreetly sneak the arrow over to the next number. Hoping I don’t notice.
And I say with righteous indignation, “Hey, I saw that. If you don’t stop cheating I’m quitting right now and I mean it!”
Then he starts stalking me. And if I happen to land on a chute and fail to slide my pawn down and play by the rules, he nonchalantly reaches over and does it for me.
How did you get in touch with your inner kid this week?
If you don’t know whether you’re in touch you can take this quiz.
I'm definitely in touch with my inner child when my daughter is home to visit. We tend to get rather silly. :)
ReplyDeleteLisa, children (even big children) have that effect on us don’t they :) Maybe because they're still in touch and haven't lost their sense of wonder yet.
ReplyDeleteLove it. I do not need to take a quiz. Water balloon fights, board games, impromptu stories, blowing bubbles, and Jail/Marco Polo in the pool! Woohoo!
ReplyDeletePamela, we’d pass the test with flying colors! Marco Polo in the pool?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you had some nice time.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sailor. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh Debra... I played under the rain this week and walked barefoot in the streets on my home...It was so funny really :)...
ReplyDeleteThen my nieces and I tattooed each other :)...hahaha...It's fun to be with kids, it helps to get in touch with my inner child :)
Melissa – amen! Playing with kids keeps us young and happy :) We need to hang out with them more often don't we?
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about having children is your inner child has a chance to play with them while your adult is raising them. My childhood was non-existent so I don't know if I am in touch with my inner child or if it's one I created for the sake of my kids. Either way this inner child I share with them is a fun loving, laugh out loud, game playing one and my kids and I like her a lot.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post thank you for sharing your inner child with us.
Jenni – I want to hear why you say your childhood was nonexistent. At any rate it sounds like you have made contact with your inner child, even if for the sake of your kids. And it sounds like you are offering them a life above and beyond what you experienced as a child yourself. Hope you and your gang have a fun-filled and joyful weekend!
ReplyDeleteDebra, I'm afraid I'm in touch with my inner child more than I should be. Just today I jumped in a puddle, raced Roxy to a fence, and popped three of those big desert mints in my mouth at the same time. I also wore my shirt backwards, just because, wore shorts even though it was a bit chilly, and went out without a coat. The Significant Other says I'm a bad example for the Son, who's also too in touch with his inner child, and I just say, it's how we stay young. Acting silly every now and then is what allows you to get from day to day. It's what makes you smile after a hard and trying day and what gives you strength to carry on when the going gets tough. What's wrong with that, right?
ReplyDeleteBella – why am I not surprised that you’d jump in a puddle, pop three mints, wear your shirt backwards, and wear shorts and no coat on a chilly day? Aren’t you the one who wrote the book on how to locate your inner child? Are you going to pop those cinnamon pills BTW??? Let me know if and when you do.
ReplyDeleteIt's Midsummer's Day and I went out looking for faeries and elves. I had a magical day and then I came home to find fairy dust from Debra glittering around my cyber-world. Lovely. xxoo
ReplyDeleteLinda - Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! I think that people who can't believe in fairies aren't worth knowing. ~ Hugs
ReplyDeleteJust played dress-up with my 5 year old and ate chocolate cake for breakfast. Do those count? :D
ReplyDeleteThe inner child in me refuses to grow up, Debra. Grow-up, is the most commonly heard term in my house but I love being silly, carefree and happy And that leads to unhappy sometimes. Did I confuse you?Sorry
ReplyDelete@Samantha – For a long time I played dressed up with my children; I was a flapper, a gypsy, a starving artist… Chocolate cake for breakfast most definitely counts!
ReplyDelete@ Sulekkha – Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present. They naturally know how to seize the day. It’s the adults who forget how. Remind them of that.
my inner child seldom has any problem coming out. but then, I'm a guy, our inner child is, for the most part, never far away.
ReplyDeleteAnd I never really got into chutes and ladders – I hearted Sorry, and Mousetrap, and a game called trouble, because it had a magical sort of dice roller – plus, that long shoot down never really seemed very fair to me. This was a fun post. It made me smile. Smiles are important. Thank you. God bless you and your inner child Debra.
Craig, you didn’t even admit that Laska the love kitty is the real secret to staying in touch with your inner child :) That cutie. There’s something about pets that keeps us playful and lighthearted. They bring out the kid in us.
ReplyDeleteProbe is another fun game. And so is Apples to Apples. Word games are always pleasurable and a great escape from the humdrum.
ahhhhhhh i'm in touch with my many inner children everyday....we particularly like coloring ....As always...XOXOXO
ReplyDeleteBonnie, grab the coloring books and crayons and enjoy! Think I'll join you ~ xoxoxox
ReplyDeleteI love that Plato quote you added. It's so true, even though much of the time we seem to forget. My first date with my husband (a blind date) was a yoga lesson - and it was the best first date I've ever had. When you're not stuck inside you're head, you can actually be yourself and have fun!
ReplyDeleteI spent some time with my friend's three-year-old son this week, which always brings out that different side of me. He's a wise man already, though... I learn so much from my young friends.
Kristen, amen to “When you’re not stuck inside your head you can actually be yourself and have fun.” This is a keeper quote; think I’ll steal it :) Interesting and unique how you connected with your husband on that first blind date at a yoga lesson.
ReplyDeleteOn hanging out with children… it does seem that we are able to connect more with our true selves in the company of these spontaneous, go-with-the-flow little ones more than with many adults who have lost their sense of wonder.
I am so in touch with my inner child. First of all I Default to Joy...that is a good start. I spontaneously said yes to an offer of a 2 week trip with my family to Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore..I leave for Calgary tomorrow and off we go. I had 3 days to organize my business etc and get ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI love to draw, paint and make cards with my grandchildren...they are all artistic as is my daughter..
Sometimes I laugh so hard I am on the floor, clutching my tummy and I can not see anything for the tears of pure joy and fun running down my face.
I do have a good sense of humour..and my daughter and I can get on a funny tale spinning that just keeps us laughing and adding more.
I do burst into laughter constantly...I have been told my laugh is contageous...my friend and I, while travelling in England were dubbed the Giggling Twins...we laughed every day! Good for the Soul...
This was fun Debra...I thought I was following you, but just saw I was not...so now I am...I have only been blogging now for about a month and a half...so finally getting the hang of things...
I love to connectand have fun with my inner child as it lurks just below the surface...playing childish pranks, singing silly songs, eating junkfood for meals, etc are all part of my who I am. These things allow me to concentrate on happier times rather than the serious ordeals that I'm having to deal with...
ReplyDelete@ Ravenmyth - I suspected you might be a spur-of-the-moment kind of gal, being such an artist who flows with the spirit… (and possibly an eccentric?). Eccentrics are fun sorts who are just themselves and generally don’t give a flip how they are regarded by others. Before, I surmised you to be the fun-loving type and now I know for sure – rolling on the floor laughing (ROTFLOL!)… tale spinning with your daughter - as they say, “Laughter in the best medicine.” Enjoy your trip to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. Bon Voyage!
ReplyDelete@ David – A man after my own heart: eating junk food for meals, singing silly songs, joking around. I’m willing to bet you sang silly love songs to the one and only Erin – a posthumous rock star. Forest and Rip, my cat and dog, love my singing. I’ve even written songs just for their ears.
Honestly, Dear Debra, I'd be lost if I wasn't in touch. I was too long too serious, climbing that corporate ladder and being an OLD adult and then it hit me, ICK. This was years and years ago, and ever since I dropped that persona I've embrace my frivolous self. I can be serious, or I am, in my writing sometimes not always, but during the minutes of the day I am always laughing, using my twisted once American wit, now heavily influenced by my years on in London, wit. I refuse to wear polyester, listen to music from all generations, swaps mp3s with the kids, and I am proud to say that I am the one telling my own kids to lighten up... I have my moments, and when I do, they return the favor..
ReplyDeleteBrenda, there’s nothing like climbing the corporate ladder and being an old adult that will squelch the voice of the inner child. All that pressure to measure up just quenches the spirit. Dropping that persona is a wise move that allowed you to find your frivolous, playful, fun-loving self. This is where the creativity and spontaneity comes from, yes? Love, “I refuse to wear polyester.”
ReplyDeleteHow blessed we are to have girls who’ve kept us in touch. My daughter has helped me relearn how to dance and sing with abandon, as I’m sure yours has. And when they leave the nest, hopefully the muse will still be there to keep us laughing and writing.
We took a family vacation last week to Ocean Beach, Alabama and I took the opportunity to catch tiny fish, with a child's net, in the ocean, for my children to watch. They proceeded to put the fish in a bucket in the middle of a sandcastle they were constructing. Of course, we put the fish back into the gulf as the day ended. Often times in the middle of a great event, such as that one, I will ask God to help me remember it later on in life. "Pleasant memories are the flashbacks of a life well lived."
ReplyDeleteBill, I love the quote, “Pleasant memories are flashbacks of a life well lived.” And it sounds like this vacation to Ocean Beach was just the right dose of fun and play to keep you in touch with your own childlike heart. While reading about you catching tiny fish in a child’s net, I was reminded of these words… “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I hope you’ll always remember those moments on the beach with your family. And now that you’ve written it down, I think you will.
ReplyDeleteHey Debra - I got 7 - thank God!!! There is nothing more special than embracing the child within - that is the only part in me that is still purely innocent and honest.
ReplyDeleteAh I love this, Debra. My husband and dog are the viewers and 'recipients' of my attempts at embracing the child within .....:)
ReplyDelete@ Kriti – You got 7 what? Yeah, that’s the part of me I like too: that part that is purely innocent and honest. So what do you do with the rest?
ReplyDelete@ Corinne - Just your husband and your dog are witness? Not :) From you we have learned how to eat an elephant and the truth about how turtles can’t fly!
Ah yes, the inner child ... I'm not sure the child is inside but rather roaming around pretending she's an adult! I'm not surprised you and others here consider themselves to be in touch; I think that's a prominent quality in many a writer.
ReplyDeleteYou know Debra, I'm very Blessed in that my two boys (8 and 11) keep my inner child refreshed and invigorated on a pretty much constant basis. :-) It's wonderful to see the world through those fresh, excited eyes and to get to be their guide in the journey to discovering God's Creation. They help me feel young, and relevant, and complete.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Day!
@ Sweepy – that’s so charming, “I’m not sure the child is inside but rather roaming around pretending she’s an adult.” Agree: writing can be stuffy without a bit of childlike charm.
ReplyDelete@ Phil – What miracles our children are! Mine have helped me regain that sense of wonder I thought I’d lost before they were born. The saying is true that children help keep us young - at least young at heart.
I sometimes wonder if I am more in touch with my inner child than Noah (he's 11)... Walking down the hall I will burst out singing or I will start skipping. Breakfast for dinner yum!! Chewing gum and popping bubbles.
ReplyDeleteI must add I've grown up a little without my 3 year old grand baby in the house. Children definitely keep us young.
Debbie -Noah is just now getting to that age- that twixt age where he’s not quite a child and not yet an adult. And soon he will forget how to skip. Forgetting how to skip is a bad thing. But. At least he has his mom around to help him relearn – that’s the good news. A mom who still pops bubbles and eats breakfast for dinner and remembers how to skip and sing. Lest any of us forget how to skip, we need to hang out more with those who still remember, like your 3-yr.-old babygirl!
ReplyDeleteI love my inner child and she easily comes forth to play. Blowing bubbles is a favorite. When my sister and I are fortunate enough to be together we don't stop acting like little kids. At our ages, with our grey hair, it's easy to get childish and silly in public.
ReplyDeleteMari, yesterday my daughter and I saw a toddler sitting in the grocery cart in front of us in the checkout line. When I started singing and signing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (out loud), Abi said, “Mom. We’re in public. Shhh.” But it’s just plain fun to be silly in public :)
ReplyDeleteAs always your post are so thought provoking. I am in touch with my inner child so much so that when my friends meet me even after years they say that I havent changed. With my son too I will do things that even he is surprised and he always tells me that I am so unlike a regular mom. I know I havent changed much from that fun ,loving child but yes there are days when the dark, harried, worried adult does surface. Lovely Debra. I so enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteRimly, I love that your son says “you are so unlike a regular mom.” Adorable!
ReplyDeleteI think there is still a good bit of the playful in you, as your friends have noticed. Like everything in life though, we see both sides in us from time to time: light and darkness; love and hatred; fear and calm… the opposites are here to stay as long as we live.
Debra, I just join your blog. I really enjoyed reading all the comments. My children are grown but my grandson is a joy.. He says the most wonderful and interesting things. He helps keep me young. would love it if you would follow my blog. It is about everything from politics to pet peeves.
ReplyDeleteDebi, welcome to my world. Thank you for stopping by and joining the club :) Yes, there are some interesting readers here who leave awesome comments.
ReplyDeleteI just went over to read your rant of the day and left some feedback, plus I followed your blog and invited you to be my one of my BBFF. Go check it out.
How am I in touch with my inner child? Do you have to ask? Can’t you tell by the way I blurt out the honest truth before thinking? The way I skip instead of walking like a sensible person? The way I take the time to go outside and smell the jasmine? For me, being in touch with my inner child is about being free to do something fun or crazy, and seeing the simple truth without complicating things.
ReplyDeleteoh,and btw.......Hey ms elramey:)
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ReplyDeleteCyna, you’ve summed yourself up perfectly :) Impulsive at times and thoughtful at others. And you do take time to smell the jasmine (oh how sweet it its!). Agree with “being in touch with my inner child is about being free to do something fun or crazy, and seeing the simple truth without complicating things.” This is pretty profound for a teen, but coming from one with such intellect it doesn’t surprise me.
ReplyDeleteI get in touch w/ my inner child when I'm with my family; in particular, my Mom. She has always had the most beautiful, charming ability to access that side of her personality. We laugh freely and enjoy simply being with one another, and it is that unconditional acceptance and love that allows the genuine, childlike emotions to surface. Note the word "childlike", rather than "childish" is used here. There is definitely a clear difference between the two! I still experience a sense of childlike wonder on a regular basis, and I credit my wonderful Mom with teaching to never bury that brightness of Spirit. As always, great post, Debra! Much love to you, dear one. <3
ReplyDelete~ Dawn
Dawn, first of all, I have missed you. I haven’t seen much FB activity from you, so I wondered if you were taking a sabbatical or what? Anyway, your mom sounds like a delightful person who encourages you to be your wonderful, charming self! I did note that you said “childlike” instead of childish. And yes, there is vast distinction between the two. When I think of “childish” my first thought, for some reason, is whiner: those immature adults who never outgrow their tendency to bellyache about life and always see the glass half empty – that kind of person. Whereas “childlike” means, to me, those who are free-spirited and often spontaneous and lively – and just fun loving. ~Love and peace
ReplyDeleteI was overwhelmed to read this post. Glad to know, that the child in me is still alive :)
ReplyDelete