Nicky Foulkes

When I grow up, I want to be a kid Nicky Foulkes

When did life stop being fun?I woke up one day and realised that stress and overwhelm were the catch of the day... again. Where did the fun go?Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, life had lost its vibrancy, joy and playfulness. So had I and I hadn't even noticed. Suddenly, I didn't recognise 'me'. I'd lost the Nicky I knew. She'd been replaced with some stressed-out, middle-aged mum - a shadow of her former self. That's when I realised that kids have the right idea. Unconditioned by society about how to act appropriately. Unburdened with the pitfalls of adulthood. Unblemished by the years of fitting in. They are just who they are and make no apologies. Through witnessing the behaviour of my own kids and their peers, strong patterns emerged that were in complete contrast to how we as adults view the world. These little people embody everything we aspire to be as adults - happy, vibrant, full of energy and without a care in the world - and yet we often couldn't be further away from that. I know life isn't all rainbows and butterflies and I know we can't all be as care-free as we once were, but I do believe that kids expose many of the pitfalls of what it means to be an adult and by observing them, we can learn to find the magic again in our life and maybe even rediscover the old 'us' - the one that got lost many years ago amongst the piles of laundry and stacks of bills. Isn't it time we rediscovered a life that we love? To stop existing and start living? Are you ready?