I gotta admit something. I love kids’ tapes. Marvelous Middos Machine is my favorite. Whenever my kids are misbehaving, I’ll start singing a song pertaining to their behavior. Actually, all I have to do is smile at my daughter and she yells at me not to sing. There are some really great songs—Never Take Kids to the Store, Patience, The Jealously Song. And then there’s Car 94. Not as popular—an oldie but goodie. All about Shmiras Halashon. Oh, and let’s not forget Mr. Music’s Mitzvah Mobile. I don’t even know if there’s a CD of that one, at least not that I’ve seen. I had to convert it from a cassette tape.
So why am I telling you all this? Good question. Not exactly sure. Well, no, there is a point. See, sometimes people expect adults to act as adults. To do things the way adults do them. While I’m itching to listen to a Shmuel Kunda story, someone else wants me to hear a shiur about tznius. I get it. Eh, actually I don’t. Just leave me alone. I want to sing with Zaidy and Eli. Or, they’ll swap Uncle Moishy for Eighth Day. Excuse you! If you don’t want to sing all about Benji’s mess, then go put on headphones, or maybe move to a different spot. Oh, and you better watch out. I might take revenge if you have a messy room like Benji.
Moving away from my listening preferences a bit, it’s quite hard to be an adult if you haven’t shed that child inside of you. I, for one, can attest to that. Sometimes, when I hear my kids saying “Mommy”, I wonder who they’re talking to. Am I really old enough to have a ten year old? In my mind, I haven’t left seminary. So then, how are my little sisters married? When I’m in the car with kids that are high school age and up, it takes all my mental capacity to call myself “Mrs.”, as opposed to my first name.
It is seriously ironic how, as an adult, I want to be a kid again. Just to be free from adult troubles. Do I really have to do the errands? Do I really have to do all this paperwork? Do I really have to have to deal with the headache of making soooooo many appointments? Even thinking about it right now makes my head swim. I just laugh (well, not outright) at my daughter who complains about her homework and how hard the jobs that I give her are. Girl, if only you knew what paperwork really is. And as for housework, if you want real jobs, you can start by taking out the garbage and putting the laundry in the washing machine.
Gosh, it’s crazy to think that the things I now consider uncalled for, I deemed totally appropriate as a youngster. Then again, there are some things that I still deem appropriate that others don’t. For example, jumping on beds. So much fun. Then there’s the games I played when I was younger which I just can’t give up. For example, Chinese jump rope; A My Name Is; Anna, Banana, Banana Split; and Meatballs and Spaghetti, just to name a few. Oh, and let’s not forget the indoor play places, the ones with all the tunnels, slides, and balls. Mothers, if you haven’t tried those yet, you really should. They are so much fun.
You wanna know something? Well, even if you don’t, I’m going to write it anyway. You can choose to read it or skip over it. Anyway, Peter Pan was quite smart. His theory of never growing up was quite sensible. In hindsight, once you grow up, you lose the true beauty of life. Sometimes, you just have to let loose. People who are so uptight—be it physically, mentally, or emotionally—can’t live a happy and fulfilling life. We always need to have that childish feeling—not necessarily acting exactly like a child, but with that happy-go-lucky spirit. I know I have to work on myself before I suggest it to others, but even on the worst of days, try to have a carefree attitude, as if to say that everything will somehow work out, and you don’t need to be so uptight. When you’re feeling stressed, let the childish attitude buried inside of you out.
