How do you get your inner child to grow up?

You don’t. The whole point of having an inner child is to keep you from turning into an sad old man (person).

@YARNLADY is right.Don’t do it!and certainly don’t spank it! XD

The attitudes and resistances that are childish (is that what you mean?) that prevented me from some necessary maturation seemed to grow up in a hurry when I had Katawagrey. The absolute necessity of always deferring to her needs when she was young accomplished all that for me. Sometimes I miss the idyllic naivete, but Iosing the petulant child made the joyful one emerge. I don’t know how old your kids are, or how hands on you’ve been in their rearing, so this may not help much…sorry.

Emotional wholeness? I could write a book aboiut it and I have no idea what it is nor how to achieve it. It’s really weird, because I think I often give advice about it. But I have no clue.

I am never certain about my value to anyone. No matter what anyone says and no matter how much positive feedback I might get, it doesn’t matter because there’s something wrong with me and I don’t know how to fix it. I’ve tried a lot of things, and probably I just need more practice. Or spring to show up. Or more music playing.

But I go crazy during the days, especially, when I am usually all alone at work. My mind starts in on itself, and the result isn’t pretty. I think that it is a kind of holy grail—a sense of self-worth that depends on nothing from outside. A sense of being settled with yourself.

I keep imagining that if I have this or I have that, I will be able to feel good about myself as well as feeling good. In particular, I keep imagining that if there were enough sex in my life, I’d be ok. There are, however many other things in my life that are important to me and that help me feel good and that provide meaning, but I would have to give that all up to get satisfaction sexually. It constantly niggles at me and makes me doubt myself and feel incomplete. Silly, I know. But that’s the problem. It is one thing, at least, that keeps me from being whole, and I have no idea what to do, Right now it makes me crazy.

YARNLADY is so right. That sparkle of a child is what will keep you young even when you are old. Don’t let go of it. It will come in handy later.
I think it is the outer adult I am having real problems with and certainly not the inner child.

I agree with the lady in the bunny ears.

You support and praise the inner child everytime you’re able to face and meet your responsibilities and goals/expectations. The inner child will always be boss but at times wearing the Big Boots. Celebrate what will help you appreciate aging rather than feeling consumed by it.

Yarnladys right, almost everyone wants to have their inner child. Whats life without it?

I dunno, don’t want to either :¬)

It’s not about finding your inner child, it is more about letting them emerge, giving them permission to come out and play!

I am fully in touch with my 4 year old side, she is a great, silly little thing that lives to play. :-)

I just took her up to the snow the day before yesterday and she built the most awesome ‘Snow Penguin’. lol

I think she has found a new calling in ice snow sculpture.

Go buy some Play Doh, clay, drawing supplies, whatever your inner child used to delight in and let him/her rip!

Build an adult size sandbox, go to an amusement park…set things up right and the kid in you will naturally arise.

A bit of ‘adult’ fun as a ‘companion’ is fine too.

I am going to enjoy an herbal brownie this afternoon and my 4 year old self is going to have free reign on re-arranging her movie room to accomodate a 7 foot long beanbag couch! lol

I do think one does become younger as they grow physically older…..you tend to see through the illusions of what it means to be a responsible ‘adult.’

Who cares!

Have fun, and find other playmates that arn’t stuck in the land of the serious all the time!

Getting married and then pregnant helped me mature my inner child a lot. You can’t raise a child if you act like one yourself. Yes, its good to keep a few traits of that inner child so long as you don’t go into childish behavior. My kids had fun with me when I let my inner child out but when it is time to be adult, mom behavior always kicked. Selfish behavior went out the window. It was time for me to give unselfishly and assure them a proper safe childhood.
Of course not everyone is the same. But the point is, when you are over 20, you shouldn’t be thinking what other people owe you (because they all owe you nothing) but you do owe it to yourself to behave in a responsible way that harms no one and that helps you progess in live. The hand holding times are over and you have to learn to walk on your own two feet.

An inner child/puppy will do anything given sufficient bribery, my inner puppy responds well to a good scratch on the tummy, followed with an exuberant game of chasey and an afternoon nap in a little bed warmed by a hot water bottle.