What is age

How many people realize there is a difference in the mental ages of differing aspects of themselves and their full chronological age?
For instance some parts of a individual may remain at a Teen or 'tweenie' level and yet they many in other fields function very much as mature adults holding down responsible jobs.
As a Teen I could talk about many grown up matters like Politics and still love to collect plush toys following the Care Bears!
I believe there is a spectrum along this from people who are much older than their years to those who go more toward the so-called Adult Baby field. Without criticizing how they live their lives, it seems to me that those at each extreme risk difficulties in sustaining relationships with their peers

Vacation!

Having returned from my vacation, I thought I'd share some pictures of Conway harbour, North Wales, with you all taken on Olympus OM10 film SLR.

The weather forecast was grim - strong winds and heavy showers - but actually it was really sunny and only on the Wednesday was there a one hour shower mid afternoon.It was as well I had my waterproof jacket with me I guess.
This first picture was taken using the Zuiko 50mm lens with polarizer. 

Conway Harbour Aquarium. Taken with Zuiko 35mm lens

Taken with Tamron 90mm

You can take a cruise along the River Conway. Taken with Zuiko 135mm lens

Here are a few more pictures I took of Llandudno where I stayed

Some more vacation pictures - Llandudno sea front showing the War Memorial - done using a cheap digital camera.

Llandudno beach looking toward the Pier and Grand Hotel.
Whenever I go away I always  pack my swimsuit as I love either sitting around or playing on the beach making sand castles and the like armed with a bucket and spade. Being the child I am my school girl attire is always packed when I go away as well as such essentials as camera, sun cream and nivea cream in case I get burnt or cut myself.

I went on the Great Orme so here are a few pictures I took on film

 A restful scene with the hardy Sheep grazing

The original of this was over exposed but I corrected the exposure in Roxio Photosuite

Pictures taken with Olympus Zuiko 35, 50 and 135mm lenses on Olympus OM10 camera using Fuji Superia 200 colour print film.

You, me and the rest of the world.

 

How we handle our 'Little Girl' side is in some respects down to us but we do need to think sometimes about how being the way we are can impact on others.

 
For instance some us may just be more at the point of maintaining many of the interests we had from our childhood such as playing with dolls, doing sticker albums and so on and whatever the rest of world may think about this, it just between us and causes no harm.

 
Some may be more into the look which can vary from what is just 'adult' clothes based on childhood likes, though larger versions of children's clothes to those who may wear oversized school children's clothing as a means of building on how they feel. 

The latter may seem a little odd although in the UK at least middle aged do put on school uniforms - usually high school ones mind - to wear to school reunion discos and social meet ups! In that context it is accepted and in your own home what you do is very much your own affair.

 
Every so often though we read stories of people, generally men, who dress as school girls hanging around recreation grounds or actual schools which attracts the attentions of the local media and host of other people.

 
Now their intent may not necessarily be to harm any child and for one thing most kids would soon realize this person wasn't their (chronological)  age, however it does cause children especially the 12's and younger to feel ill at ease and in some circumstances distressed even.

 
Many parents will feel at least a sense of unease at your presence in oversized school pinafore dress, white socks  and pigtails and most would conclude you wanted their child's attention to harm them.

 In that context it isn't that surprising that your local police department will be called and will expect you explain yourself.

 
Causing children to feel this uncomfortable is just plain wrong, may well result in verbal even physical abuse to you from parents and is a extremely stupid AND serious thing to do even if from your point of view you're just placing yourself back at school feeling still that age.

 
I used to work in child protection not least as a 'Little Girl' I had a great empathy toward the role of protecting children from harm and it makes my blood boil!

 
Remember being a 'Little Girl' doesn't excuse us from respecting the emotional needs of children and avoiding needless distress.  In fact it ought to inform them!

The Little Girl within takes control

 

A couple of years ago, something happened to me in connection with a major public role I was undertaking outside of work which lead me down a route in life that includes this blog and it's mission.

I was responsible for a large organization that was undertaking several important projects to the community that those who made decisions on wanted but had left me to attend the meetings, met the other parties involved attending their workgroup events and so on at the same time as being the head honcho of their own body.

It also was the case I was involved in local political activity for a good two decades with it's own cycles of meetings, events and so on.

It also is true to say I was becoming increasingly frustrated at the sheer amount of time I was spending - often over 20 hours a week over being tied to my computer and mobile phone from the minute I came from work. It even cut into my vacations too being expect to work from hotel rooms!

As much as I complained about this, there was little effective cover meaning the inevitable meeting clashes weren't covered and the one who was meant to got no cover either!

By this point I had become ill, finding the combination of high demands, lack of effective management of commitments to outside bodies and the best word to describe what I went through was 'a nervous breakdown'.

Something came out during my recovery, my inner child rebelled against it's forced to groan up shadow  kicking it's butt, insisting she wanted her time,she wanted to play in her little girl clothes and chill out on the bed in the evenings.

She fought and won those changes because the little girl within had spunk and courage to make the changes that would set me on a path that would make me so much more happier because when it came down to it, I just a child in a grown up body.

Childhood Dolly Playtimes

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who played with her girl friends dollies because Mommy didn't give her own but that was okay as they all knew what she was!
They also knew that's what she really wanted to be although they wouldn't say which curiously lead to her developing a love of being with other little girls as she could be herself as she played with them.
I was just that little fairytale ballerina with the short frilly dress on in my head.

Dresses from my youth

Wow this picture takes me back to the mid 1970's when Mom and the adult females in my family wore these light summer dresses. They were into cutting and sowing their own - Gran was a champion cutter outer - and in addition often kitted me out in hand knitted girls jumpers.
I've enhanced this picture digitally as the original was very washed out and flat.

Lego for regressed Jo?

That decluttering post was good but it's not just my room that needs it, it's really my head to get out of thinking about and involvement in the adult things that got me in this whole messed up state that went so downhill a couple of years back.
One of the things I did enjoy was playing with Lego, usually with Full Kits which I built things like schools, cars , hospitals and that with that also had lego people I could position around my imaginations own creations.
It wasn't that didn't hear about the news, we did  with tv and newspapers, but we just carried on playing after hearing what the grown ups were saying about it and to be honest, that's very much what I need, not getting deeply into it.