Getting Real with Shadra Bruce
Childhood is such a precious time. Concerns are easily abated with hugs and kisses, and discovery is unending. It’s an unpleasant reality that our kids grow too quickly, but does the excitement that existed in childhood ever have to end? Not if you don’t want it to.
Adulthood is never about the age, it’s about how you feel. Yes, you have bills to pay and kids to keep alive, but do you really want your kids to think growing up is about paying bills and dying? No thanks.
There are many benefits to letting your kid see you being a kid. Keeping that childhood spirit alive is so important to staying young and happy at heart. Recently, our entire family went to the Museum of Play and I was probably more delighted in some respects than my children. Sesame Street was recreated in spectacular detail, from the classic front stoop to Elmo’s World. I have many precious memories of my own childhood enjoying Sesame Street, and I made no apologies exploring the foundations of a show I loved as a kid. Although my granddaughter was enthralled with the interactive aspects of the museum, everyone from age 15 to 55 was also delighted.
Don’t Stay on the Sidelines
Dave spent many years running around on the playground with all five children. He was not to be found on the bench watching: he was swinging, going down slides, imagining pirates and playing tag. Although navigating jungle gyms was never been my forte, I always had a wonderful time running through sprinklers and playing in the rain with the kids.
Why is all of this important?
It teaches our kids from an early age that they are never too old to have fun. They are never too old to imagine and explore. There are no age limits to any having fun and experiencing delight, and learning should be a lifelong endeavor. Research will tell you that the best way to learn is, in fact, through play.
Show your kids that they should never lose the spirit of childhood. Slides are as fun at age 50 as they were at age 5. Adulthood does not mean settling down at a desk in a cubicle for the rest of your life. Your kids are watching you closely, so consider carefully what kind of adult you want them to be. Peter Pan taught us that you never have to grow old, and you don’t even have to travel to Never Land to make that a reality.
