A Child Abuse Survivors Group Community Group
We survived child abuse, but the pain still remains and so do the other effects which can last a lifetime. We are often unable to find adequate help, and we are seeking answers that can help us understand what happened so that we can go on to lead normal lives. (Please note that this is a group for child abuse survivors only. If you are a professional in the mental health...
Have you ever heard the saying, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood?" Is this true, and exactly what does it mean? Should I go out and buy myself a bunch of fun toys now? Should I walk up to the next person I see, touch them, and say, "You're it!" and then run away quickly? Does it mean I can take a crayon and draw on the wall? Please help me understand the the saying. Thanks.
Maybe that's what it means......enjoying life with the genuine enthusiasm of a child.
It'll be so cool if I could go back to childhood knowing what I know now :-)
I thought it was great, a friend of mine who endured some awful childhood abuse, was given an easy bake oven by her boyfriend this christmas. No, they don't have kids. Darned if we haven't had tea parties and used her easy bake oven :P Silly, but way fun!
I think the saying is meant to remind us we are never too old to find joy the way kids do. Not just with swings or toys, but simple easy fun. So many adults seem to get stuck on adult fun (I went to an opera this saturday for fun, I'm going to a wine tasting on my vacation) and then forget that a swing can sometimes be a simple thing, but fun too. A sunset is amazing, and how grass grows is plain cool. My son spent an hour before diner today making shapes with his fingers and a hairband. Now thats a simple joy I never woulda thought of, because I'm not a kid, but he is, and he did it, and he thought it was wicked cool.
That innocence we seem to loose, that amazement at how the world works, how simple things can be fun and entertaining, we so often lose as an adult. I think it's a shame, and I try hard to find my inner child all the time for those reasons!
I agree completely. I also think JillieBean's point about allowing ourselves to enjoy it is key. I know it's hard for me without berating myself, (ie. "This is a stupid thing to get excited about.") but it's not too late to experience that pure joy and enthusiasm.
I want to buy some fingerpaints! And bathtub crayons. Two things I never really got to do when I was a kid. And Twister! I loved Twister, although now I'd probably knock my back out. haha!
And, CountryWoman, I agree - you've made some great observations and your ability to see the awesomeness of life through your kids is inspiring. :)
Oh, and crayola makes washable crayons now, I get those and draw on my windows! Wicked fun, it's like ever changing stained glass! LOL! I get tired of the pic or the color doesn't hit it like I thought, wipe it clean and make a new one!
I hear you on the this is stupid thing. I have to say I am blessed with my SO, we used to take my son to the park together, and my son was always asking me to go down the slides with him, or swing, or do the monkey bars. This is silly, I'd think, as I tried to weasel my way out of it. Til the day I saw a 42 (at the time) year old man sliding down (and getting stuck in!) the covered twisty slide with my son, laughing his butt off and having a blast. I asked him why he didn't care if he looked silly, and he told me "At my age, I look silly doing anything. My knees are shot, I can hardly reach my own toes to put my socks on, I'm chubby, I can't run. Who cares if I look silly playing with a kid? If they do, tough for them, I'm doing it anyways! " and off he raced to the swings after a toddler.
And I thought about it, and he was right! If I thought I'd have fun doing it, I know it supposed to be fun, why am I with holding joy from my life for the sake of people I don't know, don't care about, and are probably as much a stick in the mud as my ex and mother? Lets go Wading in the duck pond! LOL!