If you have one, how do you nuture your inner child? I have recently bought myself an adult colouring book ( no, it isn't x- rated). I have also started collecting fashion dolls - after a break of about 45 years. I also collect copies of children's books illustrated my favourite illustrator (Libico Maraja) and also different editions of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (published in the 1970s or earlier).
I watch a TV show about pastel colored ponies who value the magic of friendship. I also write short stories about those ponies. I watch cartoons. I color in my coloring books. I sometimes take my little plastic ships and pretend to engage in combat with them. I wear shoes that have multicolored laces so I can walk on sunshine every day. I daydream.
I have various classic toys sharing space with my DVD collection. Stuff I had in the 70's and now have again (Soma puzzles, Merlin, Slinkys, Super Robot, etc). I'm not sure if my sizable Three Stooges collection (figurines, posters, etc) counts.
Adult coloring books made a comeback years ago, and I have quite a few, along with DoodleArt kits I never finished - or even started, in some cases - from many years ago. I have a lot of Barbies, but that's because most of them belonged to my grandmother. She caught the collecting fever when she got interested after people gave me dolls for birthdays and Christmas. It started with sewing clothes, and branched out from there. I've been trying to downsize because unlike her, I've got my favorites but no real desire to collect them anymore. The last Barbies I bought were Star Trek Barbie & Ken, and they're not coming out of their packaging. I have gotten into historical paper dolls, though. I would guess that the popularity of the TV series Downton Abbey is partly responsible for these making a comeback. I still have the first books I ever owned, and the first one I ever learned to read: Buddy Bear's Lost Growl. Other things... some people may look around my home and conclude that my mental age is about 10, since they'd see many stuffed animals. However, I got into penguins in high school (after doing a research project for one of my biology classes), and the green and purple bears are characters in the Fuzzy Knights webcomic - I was able to track down the same kind of animals the FK creator uses. No luck on the other two main characters (a very specific edition of Benjamin Bunny and a tuxedo cat that I can't begin to track down as I've no idea which company made it). But I don't think it's childish to keep up an interest in things we loved as children, unless those things are detrimental to our or someone else's well-being. I've still got (and still re-read) my Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators books, and belong to a Yahoo! group with other people who still enjoy them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this. Go for it, and don't let anyone tell you to "grow up". You have an imagination, and that's something far too many people lose as they get older. Back in the '80s I once waited at a bus stop in town, after having purchased a gaming book called Dicing With Dragons (by one of the people who created the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series). I opened the book and started to read it, and a girl who was maybe about 11 or 12 years old took one look at it and informed me in a critical tone of voice, "There's no such thing as dragons." I told her that yes, there was - in peoples' imaginations. She didn't get it, and I was left wondering how a kid her age could already have lost the concept of imagination and fantasy. There's nothing wrong with it as long as we know that it is fantasy.
My inner child only comes out when I'm around certain people, which is not often enough. I'm currently nurturing my outer curmedgeony old man.
1. Coloring books with geometric designs 2. Dolls -- just two, not a collection. A Lee Middleton baby doll that I bought about 20 years ago. And American Girl Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish girl from a Russian emigrant family in NYC, circa 1915. I bought her last year after I discovered that my Russian grandmother, who immigrated to NYC, was Jewish. 3. Ice cream cones 4. Harry Potter
I read childrens books and for my 50est birthdayand my sister's 40est, we went to a string puppet class with a very famous German puppet theatre (think of taking a class playing with the original muppets, then you get an idea of how cool that was =)) And I totally love The Wombles (have all their episodes on DVD). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymhznPDFiQ&list=PLNhncP7yhy0VgqV6Vt8xtKc18znAARU1B And of course I went to Wimbledon Common last time I was in London.
My inner child doesn't need any more nurturing; it's the outer-adult that needs work--a lot of work. I'm always at home, so I play pc games, play with my cat, watch Supernatural reruns in the morning, have Funko Pop figures on my desk and I post on the Trek BBS. My inner child runs the show; it's the outer adult that's in shambles.
Nowadays, it may be hard to distinguish between one's inner child and adult self when it comes to personal interests. What used to be exclusively for young people (e.g., cartoons, toys, and video games) are very much enjoyed by grown-ups (anime, collectibles, apps and gaming consoles). My somewhat childish likes include: The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales DC and Marvel comic books The Sims 4 Angry Birds Injustice: Gods Among Us and Ultra Street Fight IV for PS3 Various sci-fi/fantasy action figures
I take my inner child by the ear and stick him in a corner to ponder the errors of his ways....which usually means he's just figuring out how to be more clever with said ways. I kid, of course. My inner child is constantly nurtured by a steady stream of playing video games, or watching cartoons or certain live action kids' shows. (My favorite live action kids' show was Jason of Star Command). Of course, my inner child also enjoys healthy servings of Star Trek (any and all Star Treks from '66 to present.), Star Wars, StarGate SG-1/Atlantis, and other cool sci-fi shows. I also have a decent collection of starship miniatures that I use to help when my inner child wants to do 3D modeling.
I really like popping bubble wrap and watching animated kids movies. Sometimes drinking a hot chocolate is nice or getting an ice cream cone. Cuddling the bear my bf gave me at night. Singing in the shower or car. Laughing out loud in public places and not caring if people stare at me.