What do you do to bring out the child in you?

Morning Lynne, i really don’t have to do much it happens natural with me LOL

Read comic books. I’ve been buying them every Wednesday since I was twelve.

Surprisingly, I find watching my daughter and her friends play makes me feel more youthful than participating.

I play with her a lot, but I always feel out of place. I’m very aware that I’m her parent not her friend. I fit the big goofy dad role too well to convincingly play the part of “big kid”.

Plus, that’s really her world, and should be.

I blow bubbles and watch disney movies, and then sing the songs and dance around the room, and I go to parks and push swings and then get into them and then remember why I don’t use them anymore. I race people up the stairs just to race them. I ALWAYS dye my pancakes green with blue swirls, and sometimes I make them into hearts. I sing at the top of my lungs in the shower and I laugh like a maniac when I watch comedies.

Basically, just run around like a crazy person and remember why you loved doing it. Play hopscotch. Never stop playing hopscotch. Play dress up with girls, and cops and robbers with boys. Go find things in your town to do.

Get on your roof and look at the stars at night (or better yet, find out when the next meteor shower is – ahem, that would be the Leonids on the 17–18 of this month, so… Tuesday and Wednesday), go out somewhere away from the city and just watch – and for heaven’s sake bring some hot cocoa!

Start a garden, even a little boxed herb garden with your son, so you can watch something grow together (beats taking care of an animal)

Speaking of animals, go to the zoo.

Build a giant fort out of legos.

Have a ‘camp out’ in the back yard or your living room.

Make a ginger bread house with candy (tis the season – almost)

If you have a backyard, build something like a tree house or a tire swing or a bird feeder, but something simple you’ll both appreciate.

Learn something totally new and foreign together with your son, like karate, so you can spar each other (you’d have to go easy on him)

Have a meal night once a week where you cook something fun together. Something kid friendly and really messy like pizza. The more mess the better.

Eat the batter. You will not get worms. You know you want to.

Make your own shirts together with a blank t-shirt and that horrible paint you can get at Walmart. It’s uber cheap and way fun.

Jump rope, hopscotch, skip-it, Pump It Up, etc. are all really fun games. So are things like sardines, kick the can, playing frisbee, and ball.

Climbing trees is fun too.

Just remember how much you didn’t know about the world when your were a kid, and how much you loved being in it; how focused honey bees are, how rapidly hummingbirds flap their wings, how millions of years ago dinosaurs were living where your house is now, how big space is, how awesome kung fu was, how little you were, and how big you knew someday you’d be. The world is a playground and your son knows it. Being a parent is important and tough, but one of the perks is, you get to act like a kid when you’re with your kid and no one will judge you.

@wondersluug I want give you ten lots of GAs for that! You’ve brought tears to my eyes…. We’re actually about to go to the park and we are SOOOOO taking hot-choclate!!! xxx Thank you xx

I fire up the Atari VCS emulator and play really old video games. Then I start mumbling to myself how, back in my day, you had to use your imagination to see spaceships, people, animals, and what-not.

No problem. :-) Have fun at the park.

p.s. Seriously, about that meteor shower though, the Leonids only come around once every 33 years and they should be pretty spectacular this year. The next time he sees them, he won’t be little anymore. I’m just putting that out there. ;-)

can’t find my flask :-( grrr

skip to my lou

@lynneblundell: I’m sorry, but I just got a mental picture of the other mommies at the park giving you sideways looks, serving your son out of a flask. LOL maybe a thermos would be better? hehe ;)

For me, unfortunately, about the only time I channel the inner kid is Christmas. Halloween gets it to poke out sometimes, but mostly it’s Christmas. Christmas Eve has been at my great aunt’s house for most of my life, and she hasn’t changed her house at all in that time… so when I sit on that same couch and look at the tree, having a quiet moment by myself, I’m 5 all over again.

[p.s. Seriously, about that meteor shower though, the Leonids only come around once every 33 years and they should be pretty spectacular this year. The next time he sees them, he won’t be little anymore. I’m just putting that out there. ;-)]

Ok I lied. It peaks every 33 years. I have problems paying attention sometimes.

Figure out something that you always wanted to do as a kid but never did- then go do it. You’re a big kid now so if you want to spend all your allowance on candy you can. It’s quite liberating.

@gemiwing: I think the adult in her would kick in though, and scold her for spending her whole allowance on candy.. both for monetary and dietary reasons ;)

@poofandmook Yeah I was going to say spend all the paycheck but alas… we can only be kid-like. (diet kid?) Ha, well if we’re going by kid standards- spend 20 bucks and you’ll feel like you broke the bank.

Oh- I forgot to say what I do. I always play the crane games and drop quarters to get those little trinkets.

I play outside in the park. I jump rope. I giggle.

Spongebob Squarepants.

I did indeed forget to say what makes me feel most like a kid. Call me corny or weird but i collect old toys and marbles, i mainly collect marbles because good ones are worth thousands of dollars, but still it makes me feel like a kid. Like is aid before though, it really doesn’t take much to make me feel like a kid, i am a big kid at heart..

@poofandmook flask = thermos

I initiate craft projects. Nothing’s more fun that a big batch of playdough.
Here’s my “Mommy” Recipes

Cinnamon Dough
1 cup applesauce
1 cup ground cinnamon

Mix together into stiff dough, roll out to ¼ inch thick. Cut out with holiday cookie cutters. Use a straw to make a hole to insert ribbon to hang. Let air-dry 2–3 days before hanging.

Chunky Dough
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 cup water

Mix well, store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Drink Mix Dough
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup salt
1 tbsp. alum (in the spice section)
2 pkgs. unsweetened drink mix (such as kool-aid)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups boiling water

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in oil and boiling water, mixing until well blended. Stores up to 3 weeks in airtight container.

Cooked Playdough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 cups water
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
Food coloring
Extract of choice (vanilla, almond, peppermint, etc.)

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except food coloring and extract. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball in the middle. Allow to cool for 2 hours, or until comfortable to touch. Turn onto lightly floured board, make a well in center of dough ball, and knead in food coloring and extract. (You can divide dough and make several different colors or scents.) Glitter can also be added to the dough at this point.

Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Lasts a long, long time. Comes out of the carpet and clothes easily.

Edible Dog Poop Dough
1 can dark chocolate frosting
1 cup peanut butter
1 ½ cups dry powdered milk

Knead together until the right consistency, adding more powdered milk if too sticky or additional peanut butter if too dry. Store unused dough in refrigerator. Do not add dough that has been handled back into container, as little hands have germs. (Boys seem to like this one…)

Dough Beads
1 cup baking soda
½ cup corn starch
powdered tempera paint (if you use liquid paint, reduce water to ½ cup)
¾ cup cold water

Mix together baking soda, cornstarch and water, adding water slowly until right consistency. Add tempera paint until you get the desired shade. Form balls, cubes, etc. Poke a hole in them with wooden skewer. Allow to air dry for about a week.

Colored Macaroni
¾ cup rubbing alcohol
Food coloring (about ½ of small bottle of color)
Macaroni of choice

Combine rubbing alcohol and food coloring in a plastic bowl. Add macaroni, stirring until well coated. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or until desired color. Remove from bowl with slotted spoon and allow to dry on a thick layer of newspaper, about 2 hours. Move it around to allow it to dry well. Because rubbing alcohol evaporates so quickly, the macaroni doesn’t get gooey, and the colors get good and dark. Can be strung, or used for craft projects.

Put on some Bruce music when no-one’s home and dance around the kitchen while I’m cooking.

Kid around with people on Fluther.

It starts the second I wake up on the morning.

Takes a stuffy adult to slap me back into grown up mode.

But it never lasts long.

Playing “dinosaurs” with my grandson.

Epidural.

@filmfann, Like this?

tuck yo elbows in,
put yo claws out,
bend yo back low,
and shake it all out rawr

@laureth – Bwa!

Coloring books and Disney movies of course! Or swing really really high and jump off!

I just have to pay a visit to my Grandmother to feel like a kid again. It’s great. She knows I am 23 years old and that I am pretty good at looking after myself but she still insists on making sure I have eaten enough and if you want more it’s always available drank enough and generally feeling content. If I want to escape from the adult in me that’s my first port of call!

Other than that I LOVE swings, Disney movies (especially the old classics) and making cakes usually I hate cooking but making cakes AND licking the bowl afterwards are guaranteed to make me feel like a child again.

@poofandmook and @PandoraBoxx…thanks for clarifying the flask = thermos thing..but what did you think I meant by flask? :-/ lol Thanks for the recipes too!! xx

@OutOfTheBlue actually my son is fascinated with marbles and we already have begun to collect them… I find them fascinating too… and wondered whether they are worth anything (not the ones I have obviously…but really really good ones!) thanks for your input…

hmmmm i used to like Dominoes too….

@gemiwing I love the idea about the candy…in fact I have a re-occurring dream about buying pix and mix sweets (candy) that’s been coming up for years… maybe i should…regardless of the diet and cash situation :-/!!

Thank you for all your answers..I love them…keep em coming !! xxx

Coloring, board games, watching cartoons, randomly busting a move!

@lynneblundell The more valuable ones are the older vintage ones, some of the older handmades that where made back in the 1800’s can bring up to 13’000$ if it is in good shape…

Onionskin that sold for 9,775.00

Here’s another one that sold for 10,350.00$

Marble worth 10,000$

well to me, a thermos is a tall plastic or metal cylindrical thingie with a large screw cap. a flask, on the other hand, is a short, squarish metal thingie with a little screw cap that people tend to put alcohol in.

Flask

Thermos

Thermos is one of those words where the brand name has come to mean thing itself. Like people say “kleenex” for tissue, even if they have Puffs, or “xerox” to mean make copies, even if the copier machine is a Hewlett-Packard, or “Jello” for flavored gelatin, even if it’s Royal or a generic brand.

Fluther.

oh Christ, I apologize for offending your English. Congratulations, you’re right.

Drive to the beach. Throw your shoes in your car and run. Belly dive into the water. Skip around. Cover one of your walls in paper, grab some markers and make art. Play cats cradle. Sing songs and play a very involved game of pretend.

Never hesitate to give hugs and kisses. Toddlers wouldn’t why should that change? Roll down some hills.

Just play, Lynne. That’s what I do.

And I have absolutely no intention of growing up.

Amusements parks.

I eat candy, swing, ride my skateboard and go to punk rock shows.

@laureth lol

My inner child is alive and well, and if you don’t believe me, check out my hobbies and interests. I raise large insects as pets, and I keep and play with spiders for enjoyment. I am either going through my second childhood or I simply never got over my first one.

I do things that I did frequently in my youth, such as, dump my old bins of Legos on my floor and go over them. Also, watch Star Wars OT.

Perhaps the archetypal externalised inner child – Peewee Herman – in his brilliant film ‘Peewee’s Big Adventure’. A total treat for kids of all sizes (especially big ones like us).
Not forgetting Ace Ventura, Laurel and Hardy, Tweety Pie, Tom and Jerry, Speedy Gonzales etc.

Is it okay not to have a child in you? None of the above sounds pleasant to me.

@poofandmook you really really didn’t offend at all..I was just confused :-)

…oh and @OutOfTheBlue I’ve spent about an hour on ebay already looking at marbles..I think I’ve been bitten! lol

Playing with barbies and other toys with my niece. Also eating pixie stix; they always make me feel silly.

I dance during commercials that have music. Try it out. But you absolutely cannot dance well. You’ve got to just move and jerk around. Let it be fun. It is really quite enjoyable. You don’t even have to stand up to do it.

I also enjoy crafting and coloring, lol. Sometimes kids crafts and always kids coloring books. It is very peaceful.

I enjoy indulging in sweets every once in awhile.

I also enjoy indulging in kids activities that revolve around the holidays such as easter egg dying.

Oh and going to pet stores just to touch the pets (whether I’m supposed to or not). The perk about being an adult is that they will let you hold pretty much anything.

But perhaps the best way to get in touch with your inner child is to spend some time with young children say 4–8. Let them lead you in what they want to do, imaginative play or going somewhere fun. Don’t judge, just go along with the flow (unless their is unsafety involved).

@faye I suspect many people don’t believe in doing child-like things. Yes, it is OK. I’m curious, what do you think is fun?

I associate with children and do what they want to do. You may have read that I spent a half hour in the hallway with my 2½ year old grandson playing with the lights at each end.

I love reading, talking, laughing, gardening, camping, dinners with family, dogs, cats, so many things. I’m sure if I have grandchildren, I will play with them, but it will be for them, not any inner child. I thought coloring was a pointless activity when I was 5 or 6. Maybe I am an old soul-keep getting sent back to get it right!!

Playing board games always gives me that giddy little kid feeling. So does hide & seek. I’ll never be too old to let loose and have some silly fun!

also dating guys 10 years younger works, too

@jeanna : You’re such a creeper. :P

@jeanna 9 years!

When it snows is when the child in me comes out the most. I get giddy if I hear that we even have a chance of snow. I will sit by the window and stare, much like a child does on Christmas Eve looking for Santa. Once it does snow, I’m out the door with my snowboard or sled and head for the hill that is across the street from our house. I’ll go by myself if my children aren’t in the mood. I love snowball fights, eating snow and making snowmen.

I also love playing at the playground with my daughter, playing with Playdough, coloring and playing video games. Water guns are a must during the summer. I will also run around in the sprinkler.

i skip…its faster than walking and less tiring than running and always makes me smile…though often it makes people think your a loon

@noodle_poodle I did that just yesterday…and thought the same…

@faye
“Is it okay not to have a child in you?”
No it is not!
“None of the above sounds pleasant to me.”
Perhaps you are being overly ‘adult’.

Come out and play. Faye. :->

Different strokes for different folks!

Teach kids. And really listen to them. They teach you.

Get outside!
All I know is that the moment my boyfriend wiggles his tongue into my nose, I’m instantly a child and think of nothing besides dancing and playing with his toes.

Since people ask if I ever grew up, I guess I’d have to say,I don’t work at it.

I play with my rubber fish and turbo squirt guns in my hot tub.
I love play doh…make strange faces with funny expressions then squish them into funnier faces.

Bubbles are always good, especially after some adult cocktails. :-)

Confetti poppers are so fun!

I once covered my entire bedroom in confetti!

Do more things naked.