Is it good for our souls to make a fool of ourselves?
21/3/2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
On my journey to adulthood, I risked losing the child in me. Fortunately, I managed to get it back just in time.
Bugs Bunny, Roger Rabbit, Thumper from Bambi or Frank in Donnie Darko – for a long time now, rabbits have been well established in pop culture. Deep in the shadow of all these celebrities, I lead a more anonymous existence. Once a year, I also turn into a bunny and hide chocolate and presents in the garden on behalf of the Easter bunny. It’ll soon be that time again. And you know what? I’m looking forward to it!
Source: Sofia Vogt
At another point in my life, things would’ve been different. I took myself way too seriously and would’ve simply refused to slip into a bunny costume. Something so childish? Not for me.
Adulthood, what’s that supposed to be?
Having just emerged from adolescence, I was looking for my place in the adult world and put every bit of child in me to one side. Just because I thought that’s how it is. Nevertheless, I still didn’t feel like an adult. Anyway, what does it even mean to be an adult?
By law, the answer is quite simple. In Switzerland, a person from the age of 18. A child reaches the age of majority on their 18th birthday and is therefore considered an adult. This is accompanied by a series of rights (voting and election) and duties (paying taxes). Yay. On a personal note, I failed my first apprenticeship at the age of 18 and had no prospect of anything new. Very «adult», no?
Source: Sofia Vogt
No, being an adult means more than blowing out 18 candles on your birthday cake. I think you’ll agree with me on that. Psychology and research certainly do. In 2019, neuroscientist and psychology professor Peter Jones said: «There isn’t a childhood and then an adulthood.» You don’t grow up overnight, you grow up along the way. And for very few people this is completed after 18 years of life. According to neurological studies, at 18 our brain is still in the middle of crucial development processes. These are completed from the age of 25 at the earliest, and for many not until they’re in their thirties.
A child at heart
I think that comes very close to the truth. I definitely had to turn 30 to feel grown up. The road there was paved with tumbles, successes and bitter setbacks. I fell down and got back up again, and again, and again. In short: I’ve gained experience. I’m matured. And I brought back my inner child that I thought I had to suppress. This makes it much easier to be an adult. Or as the very old and very wise turtle Nessaja from «Tabaluga oder die Reise zur Vernunft» puts it: «Somewhere deep inside me, I have remained a child. Only then, when I can no longer feel like it, do I know it’s too late for me.» Such wise words.
Source: Sofia Vogt
Nowadays, I see how important it is to keep the child in you. I’m a family man and in the middle of life. I do grown-up things like paying the bills or putting the rubbish bin on the street on time (not too late, but not too early either). I act responsibly for my family, myself, my surroundings and the environment. And I slip into a bunny costume or come along as a pumpkin and Pippi/Elsa offspring. Why, you ask me? Because it makes our five-year-old daughter happy, and one of the reasons she loves her dad is because he’s a bit of a child at times. At least I think so.
At the same time, I do it for myself. So I don’t let go of the child in me any more. Adult life is hard enough, so a little childlike fun and lightheartedness are good. I can also be taken seriously without having to take myself so insanely seriously. I’ve also reached a point where I don’t really care what others think about me. The main thing is that me and my loved ones are doing well! And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and find my bunny costume.
How do you look after your inner child? What’s your favourite costume to wear? The community and I look forward to your comments.
Header image: Sofia Vogt
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.