Relevance to theme statement: Growing up I’ve always believed people eventually leave behind their childish selves or even lose them. Therefore, I thought I wouldn’t fit in with the rest of society if I didn’t do so as well. Fortunately, I grew up not caring much about what other people thought of me and I could say I did a pretty good job at staying a child despite turning 20 this year. For me, connecting to my inner child is to not care about what others think of you, to not filter your thoughts as much and express them as they are, to understand that it is okay to cry when you’re frustrated, to enjoy every single second of your day is if it’s your last, and to smile at the little things in life for no specific reason. As we grow up we start to worry about what the rest thinks of us, we think about how to phrase something so much to the point we don’t communicate what we truly feel, we hide our feelings because if we’re seen crying we’re “weak,” and we lose the ability to smile at any little detail in life. We’re so “busy” growing up that we tend to forget our childish selves to fit in. I encourage everyone to look back and talk to their inner child and keep them close because life will get tougher and tougher, but your inner child will make every single moment worthwhile.