So how do the mature folk out there – I dare not say adults, as we all know that can be a subjective term – how do you mature folk foster the inner child within? How about those of you with children? I don’t mean watching Disney movies with your kids I mean getting in touch with the child you once were…Do you do that? Some people I know have an inability to understand children, and a complete lack of imagination as to what it was like when they themselves were children. This, to me, is disheartening, I love my inner child, I enjoy playing outside in the woods, making a tree house, playing around with my wife etc…etc…
I’ve been called too much of a jokester, a kokopeli a veritable harlequin, and at times I’ve been accused of not taking things seriously enough. Professors would banter on about my seriousness and fortitude, but I always used my inner child as a source of energy and inspiration. And in the end I mapped the uncharted territory and became an instructor at my alma mater, teaching along side those same profs, who I then shared coffee with and enjoyed talking about the antics of current students. I’ve since moved on and am not a teacher anymore, but I still foster that inner kid. My wife teases that I she’s not going to raise more than a couple of kids, I am not one of them. 
How about you? Do you foster your inner child? Is so how? If not why not?
I try to maintain that sense of wonder about the world. When driving down the highway I’m the one staring out the window at the hawk soaring nearby, or spotting animals in the field (“Oooh look! Cows!” is a bit embarassing when in a car with a guy I’m dating, but it’s been known to happen) When I rake leaves in the fall, I always lay down in the pile and giggle …getting back up to my feet is more difficult these days, but those minutes spent staring up at the sky through tree branches and oak leaves, smelling that wonderful scent, are too important to miss.
I work very hard at remaining curious about everything…I read everything I can. I’m always researching things. I spend the slow time at work reading the dictionary if there is nothing else to read. I always want to know why. Or how. I try to stay creative. But…and here’s a big but… I try to maintain a very adult style of dress. I’m a bit uncomfortable in T-shirts with characters, and absolutely refuse any of the old-lady sweatshirts with flowers and bunnies and the like. I try to dress professionally most of the time. I have one swaeter with cats on it…and they are very stylized cats…that I got just because of my user name, the color it was, the fact that I’d just lost weight and could fit in it and it was on sale for a great price, and I needed a casual sweater. Given that, I really like to add a slightly off-kilter piece of jewelry from time to time. Subtle, not in-your-face, but something that indicates there’s a person with a sense of humor in here. Like my quilt pin of the sailboat block…with the sailboat sinking.
I don’t want to appear to be a giddy, giggly woman…I’m turning 50 this year, and I want to be taken seriously, but I don’t want to be serious about it. So I always read the funnies before the front page.
Having never been able to successfully stifle my inner child, fostering her is a piece of cake. I’m not irresponsible, flighty (much) or selfish, but unless I am required to behave in a mature fashion, I just don’t.