The Inner Child | Reclaiming

And you will finally remember: you were never supposed to outgrow yourself. You were only supposed to grow large enough to carry them both.

The work is gentle, but it is not easy. Because that child also carries the hard things: the first time you were told to be quiet. The moment you realized your parents were fallible. The loneliness of a birthday party where no one showed up. To reclaim them, you must be willing to sit beside those memories—not to fix them, but to say, "I see you. I’m sorry you were alone then. I’m here now."

You will feel ridiculous at first. That is the armor talking. That is the adult who built a fortress out of calendars and coffee and "I’ll sleep when I’m dead." But underneath the armor, your ribs are still a drum. Your heart is still a small, fierce thing that wants to run toward the ocean.

Let them choose the color of the crayon. Let them jump in the puddle. Let them speak the truth you’ve been filtering through thirty layers of "appropriate." Reclaiming the Inner Child

But that child never left. They are still there, knees scraped, holding a handful of dandelions they picked just for you. They are still waiting for you to remember that you used to dance in the rain without caring who was watching. That you used to draw outside the lines on purpose. That you used to cry when you were sad and laugh until your stomach hurt, without once apologizing for either.

So you packed that child into a cardboard box and slid it into the darkest corner of your chest. And you forgot.

Somewhere along the way, you learned that being "grown up" meant trading wonder for worry, play for productivity, and honesty for politeness. You learned to swallow your tears before they could embarrass you. You learned to stop asking "Why?" after the third unanswered question. You learned that your wildest, most tender self was too loud, too messy, too much. And you will finally remember: you were never

It is saying yes to the ice cream cone before dinner. It is lying on the grass to watch clouds shape-shift into dragons and ships. It is letting yourself feel angry without immediately fixing it, and sad without rushing to numb it. It is asking for what you need, directly and without shame, the way a child tugs on a sleeve and says, "I'm scared. Stay with me."

You buried that version a long time ago. Not out of cruelty, but out of necessity.

And then you must let them lead.

Small. Warm. Unafraid.

Reclaiming the inner child is not about being childish. It is about returning to yourself.

There is a version of you who still believes in magic. Not the magic of tricks or illusions, but the real kind—the shimmering certainty that the world is soft, that laughter comes easily, and that your only job is to marvel at the way light bends through a glass of water. Because that child also carries the hard things: