April 16th 2021 - Chapter Twenty-Four: The Inner Child
The inner child is a person's original or true self, the self they came into the world with ,”trailing clouds of glory” as William Wordsworth put it.
All of us came into the world with a vision of who we were meant to be, with a life task, before the world told us to “know our place.” But perhaps no other person can really tell us what our place is meant to be. And many people have been damaged by other’s expectations.
As we embark upon the journey of parenthood the ideal is to nurture whatever is precious in our own children.
What would that be?
Why, each soul, of course, the unique, inimitable, one- of- a- kind being, full of wonder, who comes to this world , and to this carefully chosen set of circumstances , to bring a unique gift. It is our job as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and teachers, to nurture that unique gift, for our children have entrusted us with their spirit and body for a time.
The Spirit Baby chooses very carefully. This does not always mean it will choose parents who are loving, enlightened and kind! A Spirit Baby may choose challenges. Otherwise of course, no child would ever be born to a neglectful, unaware, alcoholic, or abusive parent. No Spirit Baby would choose a 15- year- old mother who is not able to properly raise her. Or a mother who will have a termination. Or to be born with any sort of disability or handicap.
But a parent’s job is much more than providing healthy food, adequate clothing, a clean, safe place to live, and an education. When the child does not think she is beautiful enough, or smart enough, or does not feel able to make friends, the caring adult must address that fear.
My precious little grandson has a white mom and a black dad. An older child was talking to him (at the age of 3) about the fact that he is “mixed”. He asked me very seriously, “Is it okay to be mixed?” I told him, of course, “That is exactly who you are, and you are perfect exactly as you are, and I love you the way you are.” That seemed to be enough to reassure him, and he immediately went back to naming his plastic dinosaurs.:)...brachiosaurus, archaeopteryx, dimetrodon...
As parents and grandparents we get variations of such questions quite often. Usually they are not quite so direct, of course. But children do need reassurance that they are wonderful the way they are.
As a teacher I learned to teach children to embrace the IALAC statement...”I am lovable and capable”. For any child who believes this will have the courage to become their own true self.
All parents are the very first teachers of their children. Unfortunately what is taught is not always real, or helpful, or kind.
When I was about 12 my father said to me “You are very bright. You have to hide it. Boys do not like it.” But I followed my own path. I chose to be at the top of the class whether my father liked it or not. My brother climbed a tree; that was fine, it was something boys did. My sister climbed a tree; my mother slapped her for it.
I am very glad that my son and his wife are raising their young daughters to be aware that they can be anything they want to be, so that they do not have to choose between being themselves or meeting with approval.
For the world is changing; it has taken centuries and millennia, but it is becoming clearer that every person has a right to be the best they can be, regardless of race or gender or disability or anything else.
Kahlil Gibran says it best:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
The Spirit Babies I work with often say that they are coming to wake up humanity before it is too late...before we succeed in destroying our Garden of Eden.
Planet Earth is in the midst of the greatest species extinction since the time of the dinosaurs. Climate change is bringing floods, droughts, and hurricanes such as the world has never seen. (And human infertility has gone from 6% of the population to 17% in a generation. This is likely related to the toxicity in the earth, air and water, and the lack of nutrients in our food.) And the recent United Nations Climate Change report by a number of scientists say we have 12 years to stop global warming before irreversible damage is done to our only home.
The Indigenous people on every continent taught their children values which the human race now sorely needs ...take only what you need , show respect for all living things, take time to enjoy and love natural beauty, care for people more than for possessions and status.
“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here.” From Max Ehrmann, Desiderata
Kahlil Gibran also talked about letting your partner continue to be true to their own inner child.
“Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music ...
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.”
By Christine Nightingale, Spirit Baby channel, www.nightingalehealing.com
Nightingale Natural Healing
72 Newbridge Crescent
Brampton, Ontario L6S 4B3
Canada
This is a chapter from my second book, Spirit Baby Two.Spirit baby and Spirit Baby Two are available from Amazon.