When Did The Fun Stop
By; Faith Pearce
(4 min read)
The Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus. At what age do we stop believing? Maybe these are not people you are familiar with. But most of you will have heard of them growing up. Lose a tooth and along comes the Fairy and gifts you with money. The Easter Bunny hides treats, and Santa – we all know about him.
Along the way, new traditions appear like Elf on the Shelf. Every day, during the holidays, the good old Elf creates excitement with his special magic, building up to the big day Santa arrives. It makes me wonder, why is it only during the holidays there is such fun? Such magic. At what age do we stop believing in magic? At what age do we stop giving ourselves permission to have fun and play along?
Once we become adults, do we need children involved in our activities in order to play or laugh? When does our inner child grow up? I recognize for all of us it occurs at different stages.
I have been to big trampoline parks and witnessed ‘adults’ watching children jumping around, and they never join in. For those of us who are parents, we have told our children to go and play yet we do not join in. At what point do we lose the ability to just let go?
Personally, I don’t think our inner children do grow up. I believe the rules and expectations of society dictate what is considered normal and acceptable, and we then silence that voice. If I ran out and put on my wellies and jumped in puddles, what would people think? Perhaps they would think I have gone raving mad. Would I care? Many of us say we do not care what people think, but if we are honest, it appears to dictate most of our behavior on what others think. We spend too much time worrying about what everyone else will say. We also fear rejection, criticism and negativity so much so, we might be missing what we need right in that moment. Maybe we should be more spontaneous and simply have fun.
When we have children, and we give ourselves permission to indulge in playtime and being silly, it is classified as acceptable. Why don’t we give ourselves a break and remove some of that “adult” pressure, and just be a kid for a bit?
I have spent years with structured plans – what, how, where and when. Understandably, when I do not have that structure, it feels a little odd. When the structure is removed, and there is no one else to dictate what I do (even society), I feel off. But it all boils down to me. WAIT A MINUTE… ME… I GET TO CHOOSE?!
Wow, let’s just say that is a big black hole of choice that I forgot I had. It’s time for a period of adjustment. I need to slow down, let the internal chatter quieten and listen to what my inner child would like to do next.
Will I paint a picture, explore new places or jump in a puddle or two? Who knows, but I’m sure the journey will be a lot of fun.
Faith Pearce
All Things Wellness, LLC
fancyfaith1234@icloud.com
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