RESPECT

Dec 10, from “Strengthening My Recovery” daily reader

“We learn to re-parent ourselves with gentleness, humor, love and respect.” BRB p. 590

As we learn to re-parent ourselves with respect in ACA, we oftentimes find ourselves at odds with our Inner Child.  Maybe our child is clamoring for an expensive cup of tea at a nearby coffee shop, or just wishing for a better car.  We might have once quashed that inner voice in a shaming manner, and said things that we heard as children, like “Stop wishing for what you can never have.” We can now be a responsible parent and restfully say, “No, we can’t afford that right now.”

With the help of our program, we also learn to put things in perspective.  Maybe we can decide that even though a chai tea latte is never going to be a daily habit, we can afford it this once if our Inner Child is having a bad day and wants a treat.  And yes, the Lamborghini is out of our price range, but we can allow ourselves to visit the mental Lamborghini showroom, sit in the car with our Inner Child and say, “It’s okay to wish for things we may never have.”  It’s a tiny gift not to squash our hopes and dreams, but it is a lasting tiny gift.

On this day I will show respect for myself, my Inner Child, and others.  I will remember that wonderful things I never thought possible have happened to me because I dared to dream.”

My experience:

My journey has led me to recognize that my Inner Child was having tantrums.  Then I realized I have had a tug-of-war with my Inner Child for years. Reason being is that I developed traits to stifle my Inner Child in order to survive childhood.  However, there were times that the Inner Child prevailed, which was not necessarily a good thing as these “wins” were not the best for me as a whole.  As I continue my journey I am learning to re-parent that Inner Child and have less internal anxiety as a result.  My Inner Child is starting to believe that I will take care of him and he doesn’t need to have tantrums anymore.  I allow him to dream as big as he wants.  I then allow my Inner Child to go for those dreams.  We both know now that those dreams will result in a lot of fun for both of us.  These dreams realized will satisfy my Inner Child while showing the adult me that life is fun and not just obligations.  Although there are still commitments/obligations that have to be tackled, we have also compromised that we would not tackle all the issues at once.  We will systematically tackle each issue so as to not get overwhelmed.  What a relief to both me and my Inner Child. 

How will you respect yourself and your Inner Child?