The inner child within all of us

 

I shall begin by explaining the title of this segment. In my interpretation, it means that everybody has a side to them that is eternally youthful, a part that clings to childhood memories that has formed who they are today. During my interactions with the children, I feel that this “childish side” of mine reignited, which has helped me in communicating and relating to them. I fondly remember several incidents when my team had to think up games on the spot to entertain the children while they were waiting. This sense of spontaneity is reminiscent of my childhood, when I often sought amusement to kill boredom the moment it surfaced.

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​The ability to take on a child’s perspective, evident from how I sensed the children’s boredom, turned out to be a hidden strength I uncovered over the three sessions. By becoming more adept at perspective-taking, I can better relate to the struggles of different people. This will help me in my interpersonal relationships, as well as social service work like community outreach and counselling. Often when children voice out their concerns, they are dismissed as trivial matters when seen from an adult’s perspective. This unsympathetic mindset inadvertently leads to children being neglected when it comes to their social-emotional issues.

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​My increased awareness of children’s social-emotional issues has motivated me to contribute to changing society’s unsympathetic mindset. Any collective change in mindset would need the efforts of the entire community. I, as an individual, can contribute by advocating patience and understanding on social media, and remind people to be empathetic towards children, even if their behaviour may seem immature or unreasonable.

 

My actions may not be of epic proportions, but it can act as a catalyst in inspiring other people to make a change.