What does it mean to be a kid at heart?

Often, my kids say things other adults wouldn’t approve of.

“I am the greatest!”

“I’m cool and funny.”

I agree, and smile at them. What am I supposed to say? That they’re not?

I don’t want to trim away at their confidence, or destroy their childlike wonder. Children are fearless. They’ll illustrate something, do it absolutely insane and show you out of sheer confidence. You know what I say?

“That is amazing! I love how you did that!”

Why? Because telling them it’s wrong and it should be a certain way makes them feel they can’t do anything right, eventually. It doesn’t need to be perfect for me or anyone.

Now, take a look around at most adults. Especially the ones who don’t create, can’t create or don’t take it seriously. Some adult told them they weren’t any good to keep them from developing their skills…and to make them “grow up.”

Honesty, kindness, and unconditional love are all traits I see more from my children than I do from adults, who we expect to do the right things. And how could they? They’ve been trained to work jobs, pay taxes and start families.

Alongside the trauma many adults endured, they are also without their confidence and contentment. So, when you begin healing…it is all aspects, including your childlike behaviors.

I recently told my significant other I’m going to wear fuchsia and hot pink again. Because I was told in my late teens that women in their thirties don’t wear such bright colors. So for the time that I did, I was told I was tacky and tasteless.

When I realized that I was comfortable and happy. If I dressed the way I was told, I felt weird and out of place. So I’m healing that part of me by purchasing things when I can like Hello Kitty coffee mugs, and hot pink sweaters. How can a color determine age and maturity?

It was immature of that adult to even suggest that, and to be so hypocritical. Anything to squash someone’s spirits!

On top of that, though, it is why I always wear cat ears, and I love glitter and iridescence. How can I be told to grow up when all the adults are miserable and do not create?

Moreover, I forgive and let go, then I focus on what I like and love. I create what comes to mine (I don’t write just horror novels) and I have never stopped being myself. While I didn’t wear passionate pinks, I still wore cat ears!

Being a kid at heart means you don’t know what racism, hatred, and a failing system are as well. It means you wake up, smile at the sun and wonder how great the day will be.