by mamalu77

Created on: February 26, 2010   Last Updated: February 27, 2010

When we were children we yearned to be cared for and loved. With a free spirit, which as an adult we have learned to control. Emotional, sensitive, creative, imaginative and artistic, this special child inside whom we have hidden away and molded ourselves into who we are as adults. This child lives on in us even if we have forgotten them.

The anxious and fearful feelings that we learn to hide well within our "vault" stems from the pain or frustration we came across as a child, it lingers now just beneath our smiles. Feelings of a lost child still reside inside our subconscious, it is stored forever in our memory. We can still get in touch with that child if we just let go a little bit. We can get to know our inner child and give our self a new life. The inner child is in all of us as our memories stay with us, and they can come back to us in our dreams or when you see someone or something that triggers a childhood memory.

Many times a person's emotional maturity becomes stunted for numerous reasons... Growing up to fast, forcing one to be over responsible and not having a chance to mature normally. There is still the inner child waiting to grow and become the mature adult being able to make good decisions. Your inner child is created by denying your true feelings, and the person that we are. When you are only loved for what you do instead of who you are you feel like it is unsafe to grow, accept love, and share your feelings.

When your inner child is an active part of your life there becomes a tendency to over indulge our children, or maybe there is a constant grieving over losses encountered in life. The need to please older family members becomes necessity. When we created our inner child there were many things that we needed to hear and feel. Maybe more I love yous were in order, or could there have been a need for an apology. I'm sorry for neglecting , ignoring, or taking you for granted. Was there a brake in trust when someone should have been there to protect you from pain or being hurt.

When the inner child is suppressed we don't learn how to feel normal. Not being able to handle stress we take ourselves to serious and then feel guilty because we feel that nothing we do is good enough. How can life be enjoyed and time well spent with our children if our inner child is lacking so much.

If we nurture our inner child that inner child can and will grow. It is important to tell your inner child that it is ok to make choices, and that sometimes being "selfish" to do what you want is ok. Enjoy yourself and let others enjoy you as well. Relax and see yourself as a child, see the way you play with other children, how you were in school, what your favorite things to do were. Doing this your are getting to know that child who has been hiding for so long.

Now take care of that inner child and grow together because it is never to late to be happy

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