I know life isn’t like a Haribo commercial gummy bear commercial, where we all sit around the board table and infantilize ourselves in a quest to satisfy an inner child. But dang. Maybe we should. We should at least talk kindly to ourselves! Namaste, friend. The child in me recognizes the child in you. ❤

By: JANA GREENE

I spend time with a little girl every day.

Even the days I am very busy.

Even on the days she is a bit of a pest.

She is enthusiastic, sometimes whiny,

always craving affection and being a little clingy.

She is healing from trauma, you see.

Sometimes I don’t even know what to do with her.

I acknowledged her from time to time, sure.

But I ignored her whenever possible.

But she was mostly a nuisance,

and I used to not know what to say to her.

You see,

for the longest time,

I didn’t have custody of her at all,

which is crazy because she’s ME.

Of course I had physical custody,

but the goal was just to make sure she didn’t hurt herself,

didn’t starve,

wasn’t cold or hungry.

But mental, emotional, and spiritual custody?

She was on her own.

Now we are pals I’m happy to say.

I’m not saying she doesn’t get on my last nerve,

but she’s learning that she doesn’t have to be small,

and take up the least amount of space,

all of the time.

She is seen, and she is heard, and she is loved.

I used to bristle at the term “inner child.”

because I thought mine was gone.

I thought I was too late.

That’s the lie we believe –

that we are damaged right out of the gate,

never to be whole again.

To that I say BALDERDASH!

Please know that you can reparent yourself.

You can make your inner child feel safe.

You can make sure she feels seen and heard.

You can rediscover all the things she loved

but never got to share with you.

I love my inner little squirt now.

Get to know yours; I know she’s ready

for her turn.