"The Slide, the Parody Songs, and the Parts of Ourselves We Abandon Too Early" Rant of the Day Blog Article Written By Jenn D Real August 12th, 2026
The Slide, the Parody Songs, and the Parts of Ourselves We Abandon Too Early Sometime ago, my oldest daughter looked at me while I was being entirely too enthusiastic about something ridiculous and said: > “Mom is always the first one down the slide. Sometimes I don’t know who’s older, her or me.” She meant it teasingly, but it hit something deeper in me. My immediate response was: > “My inner child has suffered so much she deserves the damn slide.” And then the conversation moved on, but I didn’t. Because I kept thinking about how strange adulthood can become. How quickly people begin treating joy, silliness, whimsy, imagination, parody music, playful behavior, or visible enthusiasm as something embarrassing. Something to age out of. Something immature. Meanwhile, many adults are quietly emotionally starving. I know what black pit depression feels like. I know what it feels like when the world becomes colorless and heavy and exhausting. I know what it feels like to carry too muc...