My Inner child

I thought long and hard about what I was going to post this week. I was going to do a video blog of my journey up to see Anna in Cambridge, however, I think if I have another go at the train services they may stop selling me tickets. And as I kinda need them, I thought I shouldn’t. My blog is instead about my time in Cambridge.

My trip was very good, I had a lot of fun with Anna, and although she spent a lot of time in lectures or working, I managed to spend a nice long time reading. And this brings me to childishness.

Over the past few weeks, Anna has been reading John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” to me (a great book by the way). And I was shocked when half way though the book, she said it was from the children’s section. Now Anna and I are 19 and 18, by most definitions we are not children. However, there are so many books we both like in the children’s section. C.S Lewis’s 7 Narnia books (incidentally, his name is Clive Staples Lewis), Jamila Gavin’s “Coram Boy”, I could go on for ages. The fact is, there are so many children’s books that should be in both the children’s section and the adults’ section. Take Harry Potter. Who hasn’t read at least one Harry Potter book? And not just to their kids but for pleasure?

What I am getting at, is why don’t we have an inner child section in the adults section? Because I think that one of the healthiest things you can do is to get out your inner child once in a while.

With today’s modern life, there is so much going on, so much stress, so many deadlines, so many things to do. But when was the last time you let yourself be childish? I mean really childish? For me and Anna, it was yesterday afternoon.

We built a den. Yes, we got some chairs, some duvets, a load of heavy books and a washing line and built ourselves a den. When was the last time you did that? For most of you I am betting it hasn’t been since you were 12. But why? Why not be childish every now and then?

The fact is, people always say that some of their happiest days were when they were a child. Do you know why that is? It is because they allowed themselves to have fun! Now we are so restrained in society, we are TOO grown up, TOO sensible.

I think bringing out your inner child is healthy. Take me, like many other aspies I am vulnerable to some kinds of stress. And over the past few months (with Anna’s help) I have learnt to read children’s books again. I am not talking about the kind of picture books little kids read. I am talking about the ones aimed at 12-16 year olds. Right now I am reading though a 2 inch thick book aimed at a younger audience, but I am still enjoying it. In, fact, I think I enjoy it more now then I would have then. Why? Because being childish relieves so much stress.

So, this is my challenge to you. I want you to build a den (not with your kids, but you can include other grown ups). I then want you to lie in it, and read a good children’s book by torchlight (personally, I would recommend C S Lewis). And see if you can remember who you really are.