– 6 years old again –
So after my speech about letting out the inner child on Tuesday, a couple of people were wondering…well, how? I make it look so easy (but yes, I did feel like an idiot), but when you’re used to acting like a grown up, how do you start being a kid again? Some of the boys at Toastmasters had NO trouble at all…but it’s easy enough in a safe space when you’ve been given permission. How do you bring ‘childishness’ into your real life??
The good news is, you don’t have to throw a tantrum, take drugs or make an utter fool of yourself to do it. You don’t have to do it in front of anyone (yet) – you can dance around like a loon to your favourite music, jump up and down with excitement about ice cream, play hopscotch, watch a cartoon (Jungle Book is my favourite!), get some colouring pens and a colouring book (or paint by numbers if you want to pretend to be an adult), read a kids book (Mr Men!), clap excitedly when Heroes is on telly, play dress up, climb a tree, make a daisy chain…all without involving anyone else!!!
If you’ve got kids it’s even easier, because you can play with their toys and get involved in their games and everyone just thinks you are a good parent! But if not, don’t despair. Childishness is just around the corner… For example, I was in Sainsburys the other day and I happened to notice in the garden section a bubble gun! YES! A toy gun that you attach bubble mixture to and when you pull the trigger, bubbles come out. BRILLIANT!
Except…it doesn’t work. Rubbish. So I got to do the sulky child bit too because I couldn’t get it to work properly. Now I have to involve someone else if I want to get the stupid thing working. Anyway, my point is that no one in the shop knew I bought it for me…and if I decide the shame is too much to admit I bought it, no one but you ever needs to know (promise you won’t tell – cross your heart?!).
I have to say though, I’ve found that most people are quite open to a bit of silliness and play. Why do you think we like little kids so much? It’s not their scintillating conversation, it’s the fact that they are open-hearted, curious, they laugh easily, they make us laugh and we get to play…just to play. When was the last time you played, just to play? Not because you had to, or because someone made you?
Seriously, if you want to behave like a child again, find ways to do it that feel comfortable – don’t wait til you have the courage or the confidence or you won’t feel like an idiot (that will never happen!) or the moon in Sagitarius – just do it when no one is looking. Soon, you will be involving those people in your life who also have an active inner child…and before you know it, you’ll be embarrassing everyone else on holiday by running whooping into the sea!!!! And I’ll be right there beside you, bucket and spade in hand.
– Something To Play With –
What did you love to do when you were a little kid? What would you love to do now? If no one was watching, would you go on the swings or slide, would you play musical statues or musical bumps, would you spin round until you were dizzy, would you read The Faraway Tree (I read it again last year – it’s ACE!), would you get out the lego…Hmm, if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure I have got some lego somewhere… Why are you still sat there? Go and play! Want to share how you are going to play??? Leave me a comment below!