Reclaiming Curiosity

I'm really just a 35 year old child

“My daughter is 4 years old and I love planning things to do with her, like going to museums, or parks and showing her places I enjoyed going when I was a child. I am a child at heart so it feels so good to kind of relive being a child vicariously through my own.”

“One of the things I love about being a parent is the license it gives to be silly.”

“It’s such a great opportunity to be reminded how grand and full of mystery and wonder the world is through the eyes of a child.”

This is just a few of the comments I stumbled upon in the r/Parenting Reddit. The comment section went on and on with similar sentiments, and while I can appreciate the joy of sharing a passion you once had in a new way with your children, the comments also made me feel a little pang of sadness. Phrases like ‘the license it gives to be silly’ or believing the only reason to go to a museum is because you feel your child should go seem like fairly depressing beliefs to hold. Since when were those things limited to children? Since when was there an age limit put on being silly?