Childhood is Still Calling

The part of the school trip that no one was looking forward to had finally arrived. My friends and I sat waiting on the bus dreading how awkward the evening was sure to be. We were in Indianapolis for the Indy 500, where the band trip had been that year, and on our way to a dance that was sponsored for all of the musical groups that performed in the parade earlier that day.

“A dance full of band geeks at a children’s museum? Couldn’t they have come up with some better way for us to spend our evening?” we all thought. As soon as we entered the museum, however, my original doubts were contradicted. Upon walking in, we realized how impressive the museum really was even though it contained nothing but children’s exhibits. My friends and I immediately decided to skip the dance floor and take advantage of the many museum exhibits open to explore.

We walked from room to room exploring the large museum and began to act like the children that it was intended for. We dressed up in superhero costumes that were way too small, served each other fake ice cream in a toy ice cream shop, moved foam boulders at a construction site, and rode a merry-go-round. Most teenagers would never have admitted to enjoying such childish activities, but we had a great time.

After that time spent acting like a six-year-old, I was in the best mood that I had been in all trip! I realized that all of the stress of the coming week of school and activities was gone, and I was left with one of the best feelings in the world: the feeling of childhood. What I learned during those few hours spent in such a juvenile place was simple but insightful: sometimes the best remedy for stress and a busy life is as simple as playing.

I believe in childhood and the importance of play because some of my fondest memories have come from doing other childish things similar to the activities in the museum. Now, any time that I feel overwhelmed by the everyday stresses of life, I sit down and watch a Disney movie or go and play with my younger neighbors. No person is too old to act like a kid sometimes. The happiness of childhood is contagious, so children and games never fail to brighten even the worst of days.