Second Childhoods! | Flash Post 456

What do you think, Button? Do second childhoods exist?

What exactly is a second childhood? Do all of us have two childhoods during our lifetime? But that seems odd because each of us go through life as a child first and then gradually move into adulthood. Where do you stick a second childhood here?

Button, it’s like this: first, comes the foetus comfortably ensconced inside the mother’s womb, then comes the baby, the child, the adolescent and finally the adult. Our dependency as kids on our parents from having to physically feed us, groom us, advise us, educate us, teach us, guide us and take care of us shifts so we are able to do all of these on our own as we grow into adults. Taking important decisions is a very important part of growing up. As we age, our minds also age from the wear and tear of the years gone by. Our faculties get blunted where we become dependent on others to care for us, love us and understand us. Aged people have to be fed, groomed and taken care of like one would care for a child. That period in one’s life is the so-called second childhood. It’s the time when silvers become childlike. I read a lovely quote by C S Lewis, a British writer, who says “But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” I’d go a step further and say that a second childhood is the time when your children read out fairy tales to put you to sleep the same way you did when they were growing up.

I know why you picked this particular topic for our post.

What is that?

It was Dost’s complaint to you about his choto meye (younger daughter) scolding him for being late that morning for his cup of tea and hot Marie biscuits.

By it was cute because he sulked, stared at me with doe-like eyes very much like a child would after being reprimanded by his parents.

I too heard her because she was getting late for a call she was supposed to be on around the same time.

He looked a lot like this: 🙄

Do animals go through a second childhood?

Of course. They age much like we do where their movements slow down, their eyesights becomes weak and, well, they need to be fed and sometimes even cleaned up because they become incontinent. They also develop cognitive issues where they show behavioural alterations like disorientation, altered interactions with owners, other pets and the environment, sleep-wake cycle disturbance, house-soiling and changes in activity.

I hear Mojo bark incessantly when she doesn’t see one of us! Does that mean she feels insecure and lonely?

Absolutely. The one thing that keeps her calm these days is the presence of one of us in the room where she is sitting and even a conversation with her is not enough anymore. She has to see one of us to satisfy herself that she is not alone. And this, dear Button, is what we call a second childhood. Here’s wishing you a long and wonderful life. And a blessed second childhood.