Don't Ever Lose Your Childhood Innocence

You better have that experience that’s standing in front of you. Rule: no hesitation. Life is a short ride, leave the depot with your bubbles!

To see life through innocent eyes is to appreciate all that nature gives us every day

This innocence doesn’t ever have to be forced to leave. The effects of walking through puddles, swinging, or playing hopscotch don’t have to leave us. These things don’t have to stop. These activities can be repeated even after we’re past 5 feet tall. Why did you ever stop?

I don’t recall moaning about growing older too fast. I do remember hearing some other kids saying things like they couldn’t wait to get to high school or that they just wished they were older.

You can still maintain a young heart

A woman can carry the little girl in her and the man can carry the young boy. After all, adults are merely seasoned children and both still have an emotional bucket needing an inch of something — even if it’s a small compliment. Some girls grow up collecting dolls and some boys grow up with a passion for cars by collecting and driving.

Older adults should not be forgotten

When you were a child, you looked up to adults whether it was a parent, grandparent, or some adult mentor.

There’s a wealth of wisdom alone to be learned from older adults — your senior citizens. Children should always be taught to respect adults but there’s another type of special respect to be shown to senior citizens.

My son has an affinity toward senior citizens and more than any other adult age group I would say. This was being practiced long before his grandparents had passed away.

Growing pains

Growing pains as it’s referred to is hard when you’re growing up. It’s even more difficult in a hard society, with certain experiences like when a child loses a parent at an early age. And I might add here that we never stop growing up.

Growing up in the military

I grew up in the military so we traveled a lot. As such, I have said all my life I don’t have a real concept of “home.” I may have known where we lived such as the type of house we lived in every time we were transferred, but it was viewed as “the house we lived in” as opposed to “home.”

While my childhood innocence traveled with me, I also grew up faster than other children because of the moves, and learning about the ability to adapt was a quick lesson.

I had my first going steady boyfriend on an airbase. I had my first kiss in a carport on an airbase after going on a chaperoned movie date to see Romeo & Juliet at the airbase theater. I didn’t lose my innocence. I was growing up.

My childhood innocence didn’t die, it just got replaced with wisdom

As life experiences changed the direction of choices and decisions, all of which I began making on my own, that was the real sign that my childhood innocence was evolving into wisdom. Perform similar activities--don't we all still blow bubbles? As far as behavior goes, no more pouting or whining (well, okay, some adults still do that).

I still swing occasionally because I remember the joy that used to bring me — to see how high I could swing like it was some kind of dare.

I draw on the sidewalk with chalk with grandees because I can and because I like art. Importantly, it influences the children I’m with that I can still be childlike too. It also reminds me not to abandon any activity that equates to fun.

Sure, I make adult decisions now. I also make time to do the fun things that young children do like bounce a ball, blow bubbles, play games, and observe their reactions — were mine the same when I was a child?

What things do you still do that you had fun doing when you were a child? As far as the old adage, be a kid at heart, I think that’s another secret to longevity. Giggling is still allowed.

© Cathy Coombs