Think back to when you were a small child. Do you remember how much you absorbed without overthinking? The world felt rich, vibrant, and dynamic without mental or emotional commentary. You can still come back to this place of awareness. It is the point of view of your inner child.
Children have fewer solidified judgments about the world. They often respond with more compassion, sensitivity, and interest than adults.
Restoring that open and clear mind is a central aim of mindfulness practice. It unlocks the mental awareness and emotional softness of your child self.
Are You Actually Reading This Right Now?
Often, adults think about something else while doing tasks. A common analogy for modern overstimulation is scrolling your phone while watching TV. At work, we wrestle with the tension between mental chatter and the present moment.
Notice that children often lack this tension. A small child on a walk isn’t thinking about a big sales presentation. Kids are so immersed in simple activities like walking that they play with them just to see what happens. You might see a child skip, run around, or take a dramatic, deep breath of fresh air.
Mental preoccupation causes us to lose immediacy and playfulness. Fortunately, mindfulness—noticing distraction and letting it go—can restore presence. When you refocus on the present, awareness and playfulness emerge. Curiosity, exploration, freedom, and wonder become available again. Mental spaciousness isn’t lost with age; it’s just forgotten.
“Why Would Someone Do Something Like That?”
My mom told me a story about my nephew recently. Let’s call him Joey. Joey talked to his mom, my sister-in-law, about a lesson from school that day. The class discussed internment camps used to erase Native American culture.
It was a heavy topic for first grade, but Joey’s thoughtfulness stood out. He asked his mom why anyone would harm another person like that. Her response was simple and fitting for a six-year-old. She said, “Sometimes people fear others’ differences and do terrible things.”
Harmful prejudices originate from over-attachment to thinking. Adults internalize experiences over time. These experiences form beliefs that solidify into a belief system.
Sometimes, logic helps navigate life, avoiding actions that don’t align with our values. Other times, preconceived notions harden our hearts. We may rationalize suffering based on assumptions. For example, the false idea that most homeless people are addicts persists.
All About the Action
Next time you watch children play, pay attention. How many are thinking about anything other than what they’re doing? How many are reacting to past events or worrying about the future? Not many. Children can completely enjoy whatever they are doing.
One of my biggest frustrations was playing the drums as I aged. When I was younger, I had little thought or distraction while playing. The thunderous pound of toms, the hissing clap of the snare, the wash of cymbals consumed me.
As an adult returning to the instrument, it took practice to regain that focused state. It was hard not to criticize myself, relive memories, or get distracted by anxiety. These are normal adult experiences, but I wasn’t used to them when playing as a child.
I started to renew my focus on every sound in the music and every sound I made. I felt the drumsticks in my hands and the vibrations up my arms. The more I practiced, the easier it became to slip back into that childlike state of enjoyment.
Just because you haven’t felt childlike fun in a while doesn’t mean you can’t again. Immerse yourself fully in the present moment to find your the wonder and joy of your inner child.
“I’m a Real Boy!”
When you practice mindfulness, it’s easier to see judgments without identifying with them. They become sensations in the mind, not expressions of your core identity. By distancing yourself from your opinions, your real self becomes tangible again. You befriend your inner child.