The little girl stands at the top of a shiny metal slide.  Hair tousled from the tight braids her mother impatiently weaved while cinnamon butter toast and cheese eggs were picked and nibbled, she stares into the leaves moving with the wind and sings to an imaginary audience.  The slide burns her legs and the momentum of speed reaching the bottom springs her into wood chips and wonder.  

We learn to walk and run within only a few years from birth and those steps stay with us on the many trails we journey through the years. Our inner child is always with us.

Ask family members to tell stories

While family structures vary and relationships have a multitude of love and trauma, asking trusted family members about how you were as a child gives you a “through the window” perspective of what it was like to share experiences with you in your youth. 

A mother describes her baby daughter as a curious explorer who she could not keep clean.  Touching, smelling, and tasting her new world, the little girl would spend full mornings on the outside earth immersing herself in the nature that nurtured her.  

We all construct our own self images and identities based on the intersectionality of outside and inside experiences.  Our own perspective of ourselves is influenced heavily by how others see us.  By reminiscing and learning from family members of our own childhood, we gain a true connection to our own inner child. 

Recreate memories and traditions from childhood

The experiences we have that share emotion and connect us to childhood memories can be recreated to build a stronger relationship with our inner child.

Recollect the times that you felt most bonded to your family and loved ones.  Those are also the memories where you felt most connected to yourself. When we feel like we belong, we feel safe with a strong sense of well-being.  If you would like to learn more, read Why Our Sense Of Belonging Matters

Memories that hold vibrancy in our minds are the ones that most likely came from a traditional repetition with values and cultural ties. Our traditions build connection and establish a strong sense of self that is directly connected to the development of our inner child.  

Pick a memory that you vividly recognize as a direct attachment to your inner child and recreate the tradition with as much detail as possible.  Include important people and the ceremonies that you remember having meaning.  

As a child, she looked forward to searching for the perfect Christmas tree in the forest.  Her dad would stomp through the snow to get closest to the trunk and the loud roar of the chainsaw overpowered the smell of propane it dispelled. They always smothered the tree in tinsel and watched the lights flicker in reflection.  

Reliving our most precious moments shares the memory with our own inner child and connects us to our most dear and innocent state of being.  

Enjoy activities that were loved as a child

Create a list of the activities, hobbies, and celebrations where you thrived as a child.  From the list, identify activities that have stayed with you in life and grown into passions, careers, and lifestyles that are meaningful.

With what is left on the list, build a schedule with a timeline of goals to integrate those activities into your life.  Invite loved ones to share in the experiences and have a consciousness of how you feel when you are in the thralls of nurturing the connection between you and your inner child. 

We are never too old to relive the moments that bring us joy.  Check out this feel good Joy Ride Video from Amazon (no affiliate link).

Leoluna loves you~