The scene fades in. A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling giving off a dim light. A table sits below it with a single fold up chair. In the chair, sits a girl with brown hair and she has dark circles under her eyes. There are two cops standing across from her. The cop on the left is obviously the bad cop. He’s wearing Aviators. “Admit it!” The bad cop yells. The girl throws her hands on the table and stands up. “Fine! It’s true. I sleep with a Mulan stuffed animal.” Tears streaming down her cheeks she yells, “Are you happy now?!”
Yeah, that girl is me. There, I admit it. In my defense though, if she can save China she can save me from a scary monster in my closet. Being in your 20’s is a difficult time. You are closer to paying taxes than playing on the playground. But how do you keep your childhood alive without seeming childish? No one wants to be Andy in Toy Story 3 (Sorry if it’s still too soon). But no one wants to seem like the loser virgin who lives in their parents’ basement either.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Di Pirro.
Well, you could be that person who says it’s a “collectable” and not a toy. Sorry, no one’s believing your bullsh*t. It doesn’t matter if it’s above your mantle. Sometimes a light saber is just a light saber, deal with it.
There’s the extremist. This is the person who dresses like an Elementary schooler and might even wear cat ears on a regular basis. They also have the latest version of the Pokémon video game. While a Pikachu hoodie is cute, it probably won’t help you in the dating department. If you somehow pick up someone wearing that, please email me how you did it. I’m not kidding. Here are some ways to keep the enthusiasm from childhood without getting made fun of for being childish.
- Keep the stuffed animals that you loved as a kid. Get them out of the back of your closet and display them. Put them on your desk or bookshelf. They make cute accessories and can be conversation starters.
- Another way is to throw a party. I’m not talking about a rager here people. Invite your friends over for a Lego party. Everyone could bring Legos and you could watch The Lego Movie. It could even be a yearly event. Just make sure that everyone wears socks. Or it doesn’t have to be Legos. Personally, my friends and I do Barbie parties.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Di Pirro.
Our toys used to be our best friends. Then we threw them in the closet. Heaven forbid your friends find out that you were once a child. We aren’t teenagers trying to be older than we are anymore. Now we are adults trying to act younger than we are! This is why we should always keep a bit of our childhood within us. It’s where most of our creative inspirations come from. Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”