Be Playful At Any Age!

Let me make one thing clear: To be childlike at any age should not be confused with being childish. Although the two terms have a similar meaning, the former is often viewed in a more positive light, whereas childish is often used to describe someone who may be acting immature or petulant. When I say be more childlike and playful at any age, I mean don’t lose your inquisitive and innovative spirit because too often we forget to just have silly straight forward fun!

I’ll tell you a little story about myself that I think captures the essence of my point very clearly. A few years ago, while waiting for my children to come out of school, I was standing around with a few other women chatting about this or that—nothing of consequence—when suddenly a boy came rolling up to us with his scooter. He was the son of one of the women I was chatting with. Well, my childlike instincts took over and I just couldn’t help but ask if I could take his scooter for a little ride around the parking lot. He agreed, and one of the women said, “are you really going to ride it around?”, the mother of the boy looked at me in total disbelief—and dare I say with utter distain. I truly didn’t see a problem with it.

I hopped on the scooter and had a jolly time riding around for a few minutes. Upon my return I thanked the boy as I handed him his scooter. I looked at the women—a little out of breath and with a grand old smile—and said, “that was fun!”. Although some laughed and some still had a grimace, in that moment I didn’t care because I felt happy.

Moments later, the mother of the boy headed home, carrying the scooter in one arm and her son’s backpack in the other. I hollered, “just ride it home, its fun! Try it!”. It was quite clear she was not impressed with me at all. I actually felt sorry for her. It was as if she forgot what it was like to just let go of what others might think and find the fun! Ok, so maybe riding her son’s scooter was not her idea of fun, and maybe she was having a not so great day, but I still wish she had cracked a smile, for her sake!

This story actually got me thinking…had I been a man and jumped on the scooter, or an ATV, or a motorcycle, or if I started throwing a ball around—would I be judged as harshly? Are men just generally allowed to be more boyish? According to my anecdotal evidence, I think the answer is yes! Jumping on a swing or sliding down a slide with my kids, or just for the hell of it, is it really so odd?

I would like to think we are way past those days where ‘women need to be prim and proper in public at all times’. However, the double standard seems evident in the faces around me when I race my kids on bikes up and down my street, or when I unleash my dog at the top of my street and try—in vain—to beat her home (four legs are always faster than two, even if she is a teacup poodle and weighs 8 pounds!).

I say this with the utmost respect for all humans, fuck them all! No, I’m not trying to re-live my childhood, I don’t care to go back. The truth is, I’m 42 and I still have my health, and until further notice consider me playful. I am plenty serious and anxious when those playful, brief moments have passed. So roll down the hill with your kids and laugh until your side hurts after taking a tumble off a bike. Dress up for Halloween—act goofy and make them all laugh at your expense—the child in you will thank you!