Sigh.
Waking up to another day, you, like many of us, are probably faced with the prospect of going to work.
- You will probably get a pile of bills shoved through your mailbox.
- You probably have household chores to do.
- You probably have 101 demands on your day, most adult and boring!
If only you could go back to those halcyon days of childhood. If only you could laugh and smile like you used to. If only you could escape for just a few hours, doing those things you used to do.
If only…
Well, here’s the thing… you can! If adult concerns are getting you down, and if you yearn for those days of yesteryear, why don’t you relive some of your childhood days?
You might dig out some of your childhood movies on DVD or VHS, or you might make the most of your Netflix account and search for any of your faves there.
If you were a child of the ’80s, you might rewatch ET or The Goonies. If you were a child of the ’90s, you might give Home Alone another go.
You might even watch some of the tv shows from your favourite decade, and if you can’t find them on Netflix, you are sure to find them on YouTube. Armed with your favourite childhood sweets, be they sherbert fountains or a packet of love hearts, take yourself back to your childhood days when you sat in front of the screen for hours, eyes filled with wonder.
You might play those video games you enjoyed as a child
Sonic the Hedgehog on the Megadrive. Super Mario on the SNES. Tomb Raider on the PS1. A four-player battle of Goldeneye on the N64.
Older consoles can be found in most second-hand stores, although some of the older consoles are coming back in revamped fashion, such as the PS1 Classic, which comes preloaded with 20 games.
If you have the money, you might also buy one of the classic arcade machines, especially if you were a child in the 80s when you poured your pocket money into games like Pac Man and Space Invaders. Have your mum on speed dial to shout out things like “Go and get some fresh air” or “those games will rot your mind,” and your childhood gaming reminiscences will be complete!
You might want to revisit your favourite childhood places
Perhaps your parents took you somewhere on holiday as a child. Take your own kids or go solo, and rewalk familiar paths and see those sights you remember so well. Bring your family photos and compare them then and now.
Do those places still look the same? Is your name still graffitied on that wall you used your new Magic Marker on? And if you’re still living in your hometown, go to the places you regularly hung out as a child.
When it’s quiet in the park, hit the swings and the slides and have some fun. Climb a tree or roll down a hill. Revisit your old school, and ask for a tour (admittedly, maybe not one of your favourite childhood places).
And go back to your old neighbourhoods, and walk the streets of your childhood, where you played games with friends and played Knock-a-Door run at your neighbour’s houses (or was that just us?).
And there’s more you can do
Dig out your old board games. With your friends and family, play tig and hide and seek. Eat banana sandwiches. Whatever you did as a child, revisit those past experiences.
And then remember that inner child within you, so when adult concerns get the better of you, you might have another afternoon going back to those days when life seemed much simpler. Because let’s face it, you don’t have to be a grown-up all of the time!
